By Josie June 23rd, 2023
Just like humans, animals seem to seek altered states of consciousness, and they’ve found some pretty creative ways to achieve them.
Nepetalactone, the active ingredient in catnip, triggers a euphoric response in cats, causing behaviors like rolling, flipping, rubbing, and purring.
Bighorn sheep in North American search out lichens - these contain narcotic compounds that can induce a state of intoxication,
Wallabies consume opium poppies; under the influence they hop around in disoriented patterns, which have come to be referred to as “crop circles.”
Vervet Monkeys, native to East Africa, have developed a taste for alcohol by consuming fermented fruits.
Elephants love fermented marula fruit. They stagger or may also become more vocal and display increased aggression or playfulness when eating these fruits.
Reindeer have a fondness for Amanita muscaria, a hallucinogenic mushroom - it contains ibotenic acid, which induces a euphoric state in reindeer.
Jaguars consume parts of the ayahuasca vine which contains several psychoactive compounds, including DMT, which can induce hallucinogenic effects.
Locoweed contains swainsonine, a toxin that can cause erratic behavior and other symptoms in cows.
They provoke millipedes to release their defensive toxins, which the lemurs then rub on their fur. These toxins contain alkaloids and cause them to enter a state of apparent euphoria.
Pufferfish release a potent neurotoxin when threatened which, in small doses, induces a trance-like state in dolphins, leading to playful and unusual behavior.