{"id":4447,"date":"2026-05-01T09:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/01\/monkeys-eating-soil-to-fight-junk-food-stomach-upset-fallout\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T09:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:06:03","slug":"monkeys-eating-soil-to-fight-junk-food-stomach-upset-fallout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bangbizarre.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/01\/monkeys-eating-soil-to-fight-junk-food-stomach-upset-fallout\/","title":{"rendered":"Monkeys \u2018eating soil\u2019 to fight junk food stomach upset fallout"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-05-01 09:06:01<\/b>
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Junk food-addicted monkeys are feasting on soil to counteract the stomach upsets they suffer by gorging on greasy grub grabbed from tourists.

\nIn a behavioural shift scientists say reflects the growing impact of human diets on wildlife, Barbary macaques on the Rock of Gibraltar have developed the habit of deliberately ingesting dirt to soothe digestive problems caused by foods high in sugar, salt and dairy.

\nResearchers from the University of Cambridge made the discovery and say it is the result of the macaques \u2013 the only wild monkey population in Europe \u2013 increasingly coming into contact with tourists, leading to a shift away from their natural diet of herbs, seeds and insects towards snacks such as crisps, chocolate and ice cream.

\nTheir study on the phenomenon, published in Scientific Reports, observed 230 macaques across eight groups living on Gibraltar, with heightened soil-eating behaviour recorded during peak tourist seasons between summer 2022 and spring 2024.

\nDr Sylvain Lemoine, a biological anthropologist at Cambridge\u2019s Department of Archaeology, said: \u201cThis could alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms from nausea to diarrhoea.\u201d

\nHe added: \u201cSoil may also provide friendly bacteria that helps with the gut microbiome.\u201d

\nThe findings suggest the macaques are using soil as a form of self-medication by using it to line their digestive tract to reduce irritation caused by rich foods.

\nAccording to the researchers, junk food is \u201cextremely rich in calories, sugar, salt and dairy\u201d, and while appealing to the monkeys, it has \u201cnegative digestive effects\u201d including nausea and diarrhoea.

\nDespite this, the study notes the food remains \u201cas delicious for them\u201d as it is for humans.

\nDr Lemoine added: \u201cNon-human primates become lactose intolerant after weaning, so dairy is known to cause digestive issues in monkeys, and ice cream is hugely popular with Gibraltar\u2019s tourists and consequently its macaques.\u201d

\nThe research recorded 46 separate soil-eating \u201cevents\u201d across 44 animals during 98 days of observation, with behaviour most common among macaques living closest to tourist-heavy areas.

\nScientists believe the habit has spread socially within groups, with different troops showing preferences for particular types of soil.

\nThe macaques\u2019 traditional diet \u2013 consisting largely of leaves, seeds and occasional insects \u2013 has been replaced in part by processed foods \u201ccompletely unlike\u201d what the species evolved to consume.

\nDr Lemoine also said: \u201cHumans evolved to seek out and store energy-dense fats and sugars to survive periods of scarcity, leading us to crave high-calorie junk food.

\n\u201cAvailability of human junk food could trigger this same evolutionary mechanism in macaques.\u201d

\nExperts say the soil being consumed by the monkeys acts as a protective \u201cbarrier\u201d in the gut, limiting the absorption of harmful compounds while also introducing minerals and beneficial microbes missing from processed snacks.

\nThe behaviour, they suggest, may represent an adaptive response to an increasingly human-influenced environment rather than a natural dietary choice.
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