…but the pentailed tree shrew seems to be able to. It seems they’ve adapted their diets to the point where they can subsist off the naturally fermented sap in the Malaysian rainforest. Actually, it sounds like a bit of a party:
The researchers conducted video surveillance of visitors to the plant
and determined that many species bellied up to the bar-like scene,
particularly at night, when the number of visits more than doubled.
Nocturnal imbibers included the gray tree rat, the Malayan wood rat,
the chestnut rat, the slow loris and the pentailed treeshrew.
Unlike some mammals (like, say, cows or horses), tree shrews do metabolize alcohol, so they are enjoying the kick of the boozy nectar. But German scientists are now studying them to see how they deal with the stuff to learn about how we evolved to enjoy it ourselves the way we do. I don’t need to know why, I just need to know when. But it’s good to know we’re not alone at the end of the bar in this big old crazy world.
(Yes, that was a link to a Toby Keith movie trailer. I apologize.)
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