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    Ptilocercidae – Pen-tailed treeshrew

    A drunkard – the only known mammal that consumes alcohol every night from fermented nectar of the bertam palm

    Pen-tailed treeshrews are light brown to grey at the back and have white or yellowish bellies. They can be easily identified by their trademark plume-like hairs that are black at the start and fades to white towards the end of their tail. The plume-like hairs occupy about 2/5 of their tail.

    They have been observed eating grapes, bananas, grasshoppers, and crickets. A study shows that they consume fermented nectar equivalent to 10 to 12 glasses of wine with an alcohol concentration of up to 3.8%. Fermented bertam palm nectar is one of the natural foods with the highest alcohol concentration. Although they consume high amounts of alcohol, there is no sign of intoxication.