Did you know?

Golden hamsters (Phodopus cambelli) can ingest nearly eight times the amount of alcohol than humans can- without showing signs of impairment. This high tolerance is due to a specialized metabolism, since their staple food source throughout the winter consists of seeds that undergo fermentation. Older Hamsters can even prefer food with a higher alcoholic content.

So the next time someone pours you a drink, remind them that the golden hamster holds the gold medal.

Happy New Year from the Ethogram!

Fact and sketch by Victor Santiago

Source: Lupfer, G., Murphy, E. S., Merculieff, Z., Radcliffe, K., & Duddleston, K. N. (2015). Adapting to alcohol: Dwarf hamster (Phodopus campbelli) ethanol consumption, sensitivity, and hoard fermentation. Behavioural processes, 115, 19-24.