Tiny Shrew Drinks More Than You

Mouse-like mammal downs equivalent of 9 glasses of wine nightly
By Jess Kilby,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 30, 2008 4:07 PM CDT
Tiny Shrew Drinks More Than You
The Malaysian pentailed shrew consumes more alcohol per day than perhaps any other creature on the planet.   (Zitzman)

The Malaysian pentailed shrew drinks enough booze, weight for weight, to kill a human with a similar habit—prompting scientists to study the creature for clues to our own alcoholic thirst. Pentails, which share a common ancestor with primates, knock back the equivalent of nine glasses of wine every night unharmed, reports the Times UK. The shrews sip bertam palm nectar, which is about as strong as beer.

These hard-drinking habits seem to have little effect on the wee tropical beasties, which weigh 47 grams on average. The pentails are clear-headed and steady on their feet at the end of a night out, and even manage to dodge the hangover. Researchers chalk this up to better tools for breaking down alcohol, though the mechanics are still a mystery. (More alcohol consumption stories.)

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