JRE #2467 - Michael Pollan · Aired Mar 14, 2026
Claim summary · not a verbatim quotation
Humans are the only species that intentionally seeks out intoxicating substances in the wild.
The finding
What the evidence shows
We are not close to alone in this. Reindeer seek out and fight over Amanita muscaria mushrooms, and bighorn sheep grind their teeth down to the gums scraping psychoactive lichen off rock, which researchers think they eat for nothing but the effect. The drunk elephant story is shakier, but the broader behaviour is well documented across species.
Read the supporting source · www.australiangeographic.com.au ↗Quick answer & review status
Quick answer
Is it true that humans are the only species that intentionally seeks out intoxicating substances in the wild?
No, not as stated. We are not close to alone in this. Reindeer seek out and fight over Amanita muscaria mushrooms, and bighorn sheep grind their teeth down to the gums scraping psychoactive lichen off rock, which researchers think they eat for nothing but the effect. It was said on JRE #2467 - Michael Pollan, aired Mar 14, 2026, at 25:10. We haven't independently confirmed who said it. The supporting source is australiangeographic.com.au, linked below.
The context belongs here.
No separately verified on-air correction is recorded for this check. That is not a claim that nobody corrected it.
- Attribution
- Not independently confirmed in this record
- Editorial context review
- Not recorded; generated finding
- Coverage
- One selected claim from the episode
Revisions to this check
No dated revision is recorded here. Older checks may predate this log.
Challenge this finding or add context →Keep the evidence coming.
Follow new checks in your RSS reader, or catch up with the weekly briefing on the site.
Email signup is currently unavailable.
Prefer to catch up here? Read the weekly briefing.