Science online, binge-drinking tree shrews edition

Style over ecological substance? Maybe. But how can you say “no” to that face? Photo by rockabillyboy72.
  • Much like nectar-feeding bats, pentailed tree shrews drink alcoholic nectar from their favorite food plant, and get enough (by weight) to intoxicate a human. (Endless Forms)
  • “Due to its well-known song, the field cricket is a comparatively popular insect species.” Choosing a “flagship species” to promote conservation awareness involves thinking about image as well as ecology. (Conservation Maven)
  • Who knew that sharks like to climb? Undersea mountains are hotspots of biodiversity. (deep type flow)
  • Sadly, no mention of the fact that they ate Joshua tree fruit. Reconstructions of extinct giant ground sloths’ muzzles suggest a diversity of foraging habits. (Laelaps)
  • ArchaeopteryX-rayed. A new scanning technique applied to fossils of the feathered dinosaur reveals new detail. (Dinosaur Tracking)

And finally, via Observations of a Nerd, here’s none other than Douglas Adams discussing evolution and endangered species. (Be advised: It’s an hour and a half long. Worth every moment, though.)