Cats retain multiple functional bitter taste receptors
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 - 16:50
in Biology & Nature
Cats have at least seven functional bitter taste receptors, according to a new study. Further, a comparison of cat to related species reveals little relationship between the number of bitter receptors and the extent to which a species consumes plants. Together, the findings question the common hypothesis that bitter taste developed primarily to protect animals from ingesting poisonous plant compounds.