7 Species of Animal that Get Higher Than You

7 Species That Get Higher Than You

7. Elephants

Drug of Choice: Liquor and Opiates

Humans like to place themselves at the top of the food chain for almost everything imaginable. When it comes to getting high however, we're not alone. Here at 7 different species that like to get high just as much as Cheech and Chong.

History has been very kind to elephants. They’ve been worshiped as gods, made into the iconic symbol for the U.S. Republican party, and praised for their memory and wisdom. Elephants are also known for showing many human characteristics like; grief, humor, compassion, self-awareness and much more. They also share another humanistic trait, an ongoing longing to party like animals and get wasted.

There have been several recorded instances of groups of elephants ransacking a village after breaking into their alcohol supply. Kids will be kids, but when the kids weigh a couple tons, it becomes a bit more serious. An incident in 2010 ended with 3 people dead after a group of 70 party going elephants got a little too trunk… Ok bad pun.   

Drunken Elephants in a Village

6. Horses

Drug of Choice: Spotted locoweed

Locoweed is a type of legume that acts as a mind-altering drug to horses. During the long winter months, this is the only green plant available in pastures. Due to its nutrients, horses often seek this plant out and find themselves coming back for more because of its addictive properties. Locoweed has been known to inhabit mind altering effects, as well as be attributed to signs of depression, weight loss, and behavioral instability among horses.

5. Bighorn Sheep

Drug of Choice: Narcotic Lichen

Nestled deep in the wilderness in the Canadian Rockies grows a very rare species of yellow-green lichen that sheep will literally die for. The lichen can take decades to grow on a single rock and is known to inhabit very inhospitable regions or the Rockies, but these sheep will literally risk life and limb just to get their teeth on it. Once they reach the lichen the Bighorn Sheep will grind with teeth down to the gums, just to ensure they get every last bit of the lichen. Talk about the crack head of the animal kingdom.

4. Reindeer

Drug of Choice: Amanita muscaria mushrooms

To get the true picture of this example we first have to give you a quick lesson in the digestive system. The body is unable to metabolize psychedelic mushrooms, so the majority of the psychoactive compounds get washed out of your system through your urine. If you were to collect said urine and drink it, you would experience almost the exact same high you did by consuming the mushrooms.

What does this have to do with Santa’s magical reindeer? Reindeers are known herbivores and have a much stronger stomach than humans do, which allows them to consume many plants that would be toxic to humans. Reindeers often consume mushrooms, that hold psychedelic properties. Natives are said to have collected reindeer pee to drink and experience that mushroom trip. Then the humans would pee out the psychoactive compounds and the reindeer would drink their pee and thus, the circle of tripping pee was created.

3. Bees

Drug of Choice: Alcohol

Much like the elephants, bees too like to party and indulge in some alcoholic beverages from time to time. Scientist often test the effects of alcohol on captive colonies due to their similar nervous systems to human. Scientists have noted that drunk bees engage in social behavior less often, act violently, and less likely to fly, or fly well for that matter. Intoxication is something the bee world takes very seriously and repeat offenders are dealt with accordingly. The hives security seek out the drunks and as punishment repeatedly bite at their legs, often times ripping them out. Talk about zero tolerance for buzzzzzzed flying.

Check out these Drunk Bees.

2. Jaguars

Drug of Choice: Banisteriopsis caapi

Banisteriopsis caapi is a root found in the jungles of South America with hallucinogenic properties. Jaguars often seek out the roots of the caapi plant and chew on them until they begin to hallucinate. It is also believed by scientists that jaguars eat this plant to heighten their senses when hunting. I guess “heighten senses” is the scientific term for tripping balls, either way this has to be the most adorable trip we’ve ever seen. Don’t believe us? Google it… you won’t be disappointed. Watch this video of aJaguar hallucinating.

1.Capuchin Monkeys

Drug of Choice: Hallucinogenic millipedes

It is well known that both capuchin monkeys in South America and lemurs in Madagascar like to get high off insects, millipedes to be exact. There are several known species of millipedes that excrete a poisonous compound as a defensive mechanism. Monkeys use this to cover themselves with to help ward off any potential parasites, while also getting slightly high in the process. This is a very common practice among all capuchin monkeys and lemurs. You know what they say, “When in Rome, get high like the monkeys”, or something like that.