Whales can only taste salt - PHOTO

Whales are the least snobbiest mammal when it comes to food, a new study has shown.And that's because the only thing they can taste is salt.Researchers from the UK and China examined the DNA of 12 different whale and dolphin species.Across all 12 species, they found that genes encoding for sweet, savory, sour, and bitter taste receptors were all degraded to the point of uselessness.Only their salt receptors were conserved, which for ocean-feeding animals means that every single meal tastes like nothing but sea salt, according to Observation Deck.Researches say evolutionary gene mutations among cetacean acestors - which includes whales and dolphins - is the likely cause.Almost all other vertebrates have the full array of functioning taste sensors.The fact that most whale species swallow their food whole may at least partially explain the loss of taste buds, because flavors are mostly released when food is chewedThe study was published in the Genome Biology and Evolution journal in May.'The loss of bitter taste is a complete surprise, because natural toxins typically taste bitter,' zoologist Huabin Zhao of Wuhan University in China, the study's lead researcher, told UPI.But enjoying nothing but salt may not be a bad thing.Scientists say it may help whales maintain proper sodium levels and blood pressure.The dangers are, however, that they are unable to taste dangerous substances.Packs of killer whales have unknowingly swum into the middle of oil spills.Similarly, dolphins have died after eating fish filled with algal toxins.

(dailymail.co.uk)

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