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Gibraltar monkeys eat soil in junk food detox, study finds

Phys · · 506 words · By Jorge GUERRERO
Scientific Research Environmental Impact of Tourism Animal Behavior

A study conducted by researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris-Sorbonne found that Barbary macaques in Gibraltar engage in geophagy, or soil-eating, to counteract the effects of consuming junk food provided by tourists. The research suggests this behavior is a form of self-medication to rebalance their microbiome after eating indigestible human snacks.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-gibraltar-monkeys-soil-junk-food.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

10 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
verified Verified 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results (AFP, Cambridge study reports, and other news summaries) confirm that Gibraltar macaques eat soil to recover from junk food binges.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Monkeys eating soil to soothe stomachs after consuming too much junk food.Gibraltar macaques are self-medicating with dirt to help them digest human junk food.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
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web search NEUTRAL — Macaques on Gibraltar eat tourist food rich in sugar, salt and dairy. Monkeys living on Gibraltar have learned that swallowing soil can quell upset stomachs caused by eating snacks offered or stolen f…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrlvvxjd2yo
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web search NEUTRAL — Gibraltar (AFP) – A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260522-gibraltar-mon…
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“Believed to originate from North Africa, the roughly 230 primates are the main attraction in the British exclave of 30,000 people that borders southern Spain, according to the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society.”
CORROBORATED
The claim regarding the origin (North Africa), the population size (roughly 230), and the attribution to the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society is explicitly supported by the AFP report and other web results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Having negligible natural resources and few natural freshwater resources, limited to natural wells in the north, until recently Gibraltar used large concrete or natural rock water catchments to collec…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar
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web search NEUTRAL — Believed to originate from North Africa, the roughly 230 primates are the main attraction in the British exclave of 30,000 people that borders southern Spain, according to the Gibraltar Ornithological…
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260522-gibraltar-mon…
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web search NEUTRAL — Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society. Field Centre, Jews' Gate, Upper Rock Nature Reserve, PO Box 843, Gibraltar.
https://gonhs.org/wildlife/fauna/barbary-macaques
verified
“Gibraltar is the only place in Europe where the monkeys are”
VERIFIED
One of the web search results explicitly describes Gibraltar's Barbary macaques as 'Europe’s only wild primates'.
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web search NEUTRAL — The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, at the foot of which is a densely populated town area. Gibraltar is home to around 34,000 people, primarily Gibraltarians. [9] Gibraltar was founde…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar
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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 19, 2023 · Covering an area of only 6.7 sq. km, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar is located at the southern edge of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Previously a part of Sp…
https://www.worldatlas.com/maps/gibraltar
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web search NEUTRAL — May 10, 2026 · Gibraltar is a British overseas territory just northeast of the Strait of Gibraltar. Since the 18th century, Gibraltar has been a symbol of British military strength, and it is commonly…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Gibraltar
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“Signs dotted around Gibraltar remind visitors of a ban on feeding the macaques, with infringements punishable by fines of up to £4,000 ($5,350).”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (AFP and 'A City A Month') confirm the ban on feeding macaques and the specific fine of up to £4,000.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Gibraltar Barbary macaques are considered by many to be the top tourist attraction in Gibraltar. The most popular troop is that of Queen's Gate at the Ape's Den, where people can get especially cl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_macaques_in_Gibraltar
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web search NEUTRAL — Signs dotted around Gibraltar remind visitors of a ban on feeding the macaques, with infringements punishable by fines of up to £4,000 ($5,350).
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260522-gibraltar-mon…
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web search NEUTRAL — Feeding them is a strict violation and can result in a fine of up to $5,000 (£4,000).The Barbary macaques hold a special place on Gibraltar. They are well cared for, they are given healthy diets and t…
https://acityamonth.com/gibraltar-is-britains-scrappy-europe…
info
“the independence of the animals, which can weigh up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds).”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the evidence confirms the existence of Barbary macaques in Gibraltar, none of the provided search results mention a specific weight of 15 kilograms (33 pounds).
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Although the Barbary macaques form part of tourism in Gibraltar, direct contact with them (as shown in this photograph) is strongly discouraged. The Gibraltar Barbary macaques are considered by many t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_macaques_in_Gibraltar
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Gibraltar (AFP) – A colony of macaques that gorge on snacks offered by tourists in the British territory of Gibraltar swallow soil to recover from their junk food binges, a study has found.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260522-gibraltar-mon…
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web search NEUTRAL — Where do Barbary macaques live? Today, Barbary macaques are mainly found north of the Sahara in Africa, with an estimated 1,500–3,500 macaques in Algeria and around 8,000–9,000 in Morocco.
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/barbary-macaques-europe-and-n…
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“To soothe the resulting stomach aches, the macaques have developed a habit of "geophagy, the deliberate consumption of earth," a recent study has found.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (The Guardian, other study summaries) confirm the practice of geophagy (eating soil/mud) to soothe stomach aches caused by sugar and fat in junk food.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Macaques eat soil to soothe upset stomachs from tourist junk food.Gibraltar’s monkeys have found a clever way to avoid a junk food bellyache – eating soil.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…
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web search NEUTRAL — A macaque with a tube of Pringles. Eating soil may allow monkeys to line their gut to prevent irritation from too much sugar and fat, research indicates. Photograph: Martin Nicourt/Gibraltar Macaques …
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/22/gibraltar-monk…
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web search NEUTRAL — The study found the monkeys near the top of the Rock were more than twice as likely to eat junk food as others. Scientific Journal describes how the monkeys appear to learn the habit from others, with…
https://www.gbc.gi/news/barbary-macaques-eating-soil-to-coun…
info
“Experts from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris-Sorbonne as well as Gibraltar's environment department say their research, carried out between August 2022 and April 2024, reported this behavior "for the first time" among the monkeys.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific details about the universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Paris-Sorbonne) and the exact dates (August 2022 to April 2024) are not corroborated by the other provided search snippets, which only mention a 'Cambridge study' or 'Scientific Reports'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. [1] It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, cha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research
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web search NEUTRAL — Access 160+ million publication pages and connect with 25+ million researchers. Join for free and gain visibility by uploading your research.
https://www.researchgate.net/
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · The Open Access journal Research, published in association with CAST, publishes innovative, wide-ranging research in life sciences, physical sciences, engineering and applied science.
https://spj.science.org/journal/research
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“"Geophagy occurred at exceptionally high rates compared to other macaque species and locations, and it was more common in summer when tourist numbers peak," the study said.”
CORROBORATED
The specific quote about high rates of geophagy compared to other species and the summer peak is found in the AFP report and supported by the EurekAlert! result comparing them to Hong Kong macaques.
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web search NEUTRAL — "Geophagy occurred at exceptionally high rates compared to other macaque species and locations, and it was more common in summer when tourist numbers peak," the study said.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260522-gibraltar-mon…
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web search NEUTRAL — The only macaque species with higher recorded rates of geophagy than those on Gibraltar are the semi-feral macaques that live in Hong Kong’s Kam Shan Country Park, which access a huge amount of human …
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1124714
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web search NEUTRAL — Gibraltar’s Barbary macaques, Europe’s only wild primates, are eating soil to counter the harmful effects of tourist junk food like crisps, chocolate and ice cream, a new study in Scientific Reports f…
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/europes…
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“the behavior was not observed in a group of Gibraltar monkeys that have no contact with visitors”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding a control group of monkeys with no contact with visitors.
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“Crisps, chocolate bars, and ice cream are identified as the culprits of this tendency”
CORROBORATED
The web search results explicitly mention 'crisps, chocolate and ice cream' as the types of tourist junk food causing the behavior.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.