Animals That Get High in the Wild: Flies, Dolphins, Cats and Reindeer

Flies: Yes, animals get high in the wild, and some seem to go looking for it on purpose; flies, dolphins, cats and reindeer are the classic examples. Flies are said to love licking an acid found in certain wild mushrooms, and the catch is that they end up so wasted they become easy prey for toads. There's even a theory that the toads get a buzz from eating them, which would explain why they go after those flies first.

Dolphins: Pufferfish can be deadly, but that hasn't stopped dolphins from taking the risk: they reportedly take tiny doses of the puffer's toxin just to get a buzz.

Cats: Good old catnip turns cats into euphoric, playful little maniacs. Some even make the same sounds they make when they're in heat. They don't just eat it, either: they roll in it, rub their faces on it and bat it around like it owes them money.

 Reindeer: Legend has it Santa's reindeer could fly because they'd been munching on fly agaric, the red-and-white Amanita muscaria mushroom. Folklore aside, humans aren't the only ones who use this mushroom recreationally: every so often a reindeer eats one and spends a few hours tripping.

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