Voles - Rodents with an Alcohol Problem
Have you heard of voles? Yes? No?
If you’ve heard of them you probably know them as mammals that bond for life. But only the prairie voles! The others are as slutty as 97% of mammals or, in case of female hamsters, sometimes eat their mates. And babies. Seriously, I’m glad hamsters aren’t bigger …
Anyway, prairie voles are special. In a study, they determined that male voles that haven’t mated yet can’t differentiate between females. But after having sex for the first time, they’re not only bonded to their mate but can also recognize different females!
Maybe that’s similar to the “all women are the same!” complaint single men often have. Who knows, voles are often used to draw conclusions about human behavior.
And oh, how human they seem sometimes! Prairie voles love alcohol. They love it so much that they prefer a 10% alcohol solution over pure water. That’s incredibly useful for research purposes. Usually, test animals don’t like alcohol and it’s really hard to get them to drink the bitter fluid. In the mouse lab I worked for a while, they initially offered just an alcohol solution and no water, so the animals had no other choice. As a result, the animals died. They were offered water after that too. @suesa
But voles, voles love alcohol. They can easily drink the equivalent of 15 bottles of wine in a day. That makes experiments involving alcohol very, very easy.
Take a huge amount of voles (over 100 for the study I linked below), let them find a partner they love and cherish and then split them into two groups.
Group one gets water.
Group one gets alcohol.
Group two is split in male and female, the male can have a drink.
The males of each group were offered two choices after drinking either water or alcohol: Go cuddle with their sweetheart or have some fun with a different female.
Interestingly, the males that had been drinking alone tended to choose an unknown female over the one they bonded with.
In conclusion, alcohol leads to serious problems and even cheating in vole couples.
Do with that information whatever you like.
Maybe make sure your significant other doesn’t drink alone … especially if they’re a rodent.
But why would you be dating a rodent in the first place?
Sources:
Drinking Alone Leads to Divorce—In Rodents
Two Prairie Voles Walk Into a Bar... Then Scientists Study Alcohol's Effects on Couples Bonding
When Single Male Rodents Settle Down, They're Changed Forever
What Can Rodents Tell Us About Why Humans Love?
Pictures taken from pixabay.com
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They are not the only animals with alcohol problem. This video shows all kinds of drunk animals, including elephant. Watch till the end to see the hangover.
This is all thanks to the rotting Marula fruit, which ferments in their bellies.
There aren't many things I love more than drunken elephants
I love the elephant who is reaching for just one more fruit...
"I think you've had enough, sir."
"Shaddup! Ishl tell you when I's had enoush!"
Voles will now compete with humans for alcohol supply.
Ever thought of having Vole as pet? You could come home one day to discover it has consumed the whole wine in your fridge :)
Weird animal indeed
Interesting observations! I think some people are much alike these small creatures) And, yes, as you've noted it 's important to detect a rodent in your beloved as soon as possible 'cause the consequences can be gloomy)
Wow, taken relatively to their size... I don't think my body will just allow myself to do it at all. Weird voles.
Nice post.
Did you notice that the word "Vole" & "Love" are anagrams for one another.
And 15 bottles of wine a day?? The furrball must be peing a lot. :D
Yes, I did notice that!
I've known this for a long time. This is why my past relationship with a vole never really worked, I could never trust her when she was going to party with other rodents.
Actually, one of the studies showed that female voles tend to become more attached and cuddly to their original partner when being under the influence of alcohol. :P
Oh no, I might have dated a transvestite-rodent!
It's ok though, it was love.
Who would have thought there are other mammals interested in alcohol. Good to know getting high is not a man's thing.
If I remember correctly, apes and elephants like to eat fermented fruit and getting drunk by that.
Oh, that is even sweeter! Now no one should blame a man for that occasional bottle...it is only natural we indulge since other mammals are doing it :)
The "alpha female" rabbit in the wild neuters other females with her claws and teeth.
Bet no one would want to do it like rabbits if they knew that.
Funny! My wife was just talking about the time that she was a child, and her hamster had babies. She was so excited to watch the babies grow up, but then the mother ate them all!
When our dog had puppies - {{{gross-out warning!!!}}} - We'd been up most of the night with the dog and were a little delirious. After each puppy was born, the mother gobbled up the placental sac that came out afterwards. She sucked it down so fast that my wife freaked out.
"Oh my God," she said, "I think Sophie just ate one of her puppies!"
The cutest animals are truly the most disgusting. Oh how many headless baby mouse corpses did I have to take out of cages during my time at the mouse lab...
Good grief! You poor thing...
How seldom nature conforms to our expectations!
Waw...😮😮😮