Cats Have Evolved Bitter Taste Receptors To Protect Themselves From Poison

Cats exhibit an interesting evolutionary trait---the ability to taste bitter things and protect themselves.

Hence, cats can "screen their food for poisons and toxins", according to The Daily Mail.

A cat's tongue has many "functional bitter taste receptors" that give them the ability to discover toxic chemicals and harmful poisons in their food.

The report was published by the Monell Center a nonprofit research institute that studied taste and smell.

The earlier belief that animals developed taste sensitivity to keep away from eating poisonous plants is no longer valid. In fact, animals like cats have been shown to taste harmful substances in flesh and bone.

Over the years, therefore, these cats have evolved to develop taste buds that can detect harmful substances, which can help them to survive.

"Alternate physiological roles for bitter receptors may be an important driving force molding bitter receptor number and function," said study author Dr. Gary Beauchamp. "For example, recent Monell-related findings show that bitter receptors also are involved in protecting us against internal toxins, including bacteria related to respiratory diseases."

The research findings have been published by PLOS One.

The study gives data on animals that have cultivated taste buds in order to locate bitter rather than sweet tastes, which in some animals "has been phased out altogether".