14 DAY TRIAL // It is a well-known fact that penguins eat a whole lot of fish. However, they are utterly and completely clueless about what it tastes like. Or so argue scientists in a study published earlier this week in the journal Current Biology.
What's more, it appears that, were cherry or orange trees to grow in Antarctica, these birds would not be able to enjoy their fruits either. This is because they cannot detect sweet tastes. In fact, the only flavors that they can experience are salty and sour.
It's a hard knock life for penguins in Antarctica
Writing in the journal Current Biology, researcher Jianzhi Zhang with the University of Michigan in the US and colleagues explain that, as shown by previous investigations, the majority of birds cannot taste sweet things. They can, however, detect plenty of other tastes, among them even meaty flavors.
Penguins, on the other hand, lack receptors for all but two flavors: salty and sour. What this means is that, even though their diet includes plenty of fish, these birds have no idea what this favorite dish of theirs tastes like. They just eat it to stay alive.
As explained by Science Daily, University of Michigan scientist Jianzhi Zhang and fellow researchers found that these Antarctica dwellers cannot detect the taste of fish while looking at the genetic profile of two distinct species, i.e. Adelie and emperor penguins.
Thus, it is understood that, while studying the birds' genome, the scientists failed to find the functional genes for the receptors of sweet, meaty and bitter flavors. Hence, they concluded that Adelie and emperor penguins could only detect salty and sour tastes.
A possible explanation for this rather weird find
In the report detailing their work, the specialists behind this research project argue that, even if their genetic profile allowed them to experience more flavors, penguins would probably still have no idea what fish tastes like. This is because, in extreme temperatures, taste receptors are futile.
Otherwise put, the freakishly low temperatures that penguins living in Antarctica have no choice but to endure would make it downright impossible for them to enjoy their meals regardless of how many tastes their bodies would be equipped to detect.
Besides, it's important to note that penguins have evolved to swallow their meals whole rather than waste time chewing. Because of this, it is safe to assume that they are not as interested in delighting their taste buds as they are in getting just enough food to survive.
“Their behavior of swallowing food whole, and their tongue structure and function, suggest that penguins need no taste perception, although it is unclear whether these traits are a cause or a consequence of their major taste loss,” says scientist Jianzhi Zhang.