Malaysian Shrew Survives on Beer

[bananas]

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/malysian-shrew.html



Malaysian Shrew Survives on Beer
By Brandon Keim July 28, 2008 | 4:00:00 PM

For the last 55 million years, the pen-tailed shrew has survived on a diet consisting of beer.

How's that for an evolutionary bender?

The shrew lives in the forest of Malaysia and feeds on the flowers of the bertam palm. Produced year-round and constantly fermenting, its nectar is about 3.8 percent alcohol -- roughly equivalent to a Sam Adams light.

"Fine," you say, "except that's a light beer!" But cut the shrew some slack -- it doesn't eat anything else. Let's see you subsist on nothing but beer, light or not, and stay sober.

<snip>

link: Chronic intake of fermented floral nectar by wild treeshrews <PNAS>

[panader0]

1. I've done it for years too.

[DJ13]

2. I dated a shrew once that lived the same way

[frog92969]

3. And here's one that lived on whiskey-

[Greyskye]

4. OSCAR!

They finally snagged a photo of him!

(Oscar's Story: )
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=624815