企鹅失去对鱼的味觉

企鹅只能品尝到食物的酸味和咸味。一项基因研究显示,不会飞的鸟类进化过程中早就失去了大部分的味觉。以下是BBC 记者Helen Briggs 发回的报道：

With their waddling gait and lack of flight, penguins have long been an oddity in the bird kingdom. Now zoologists have discovered they're unusual too in their sense of taste.

Most birds can't detect sweet things. But penguins have also lost the taste for bitter and umami, or meaty flavours. Scientists think fish would taste of little but salt to a penguin. And because they swallow fish whole they may not be able to discern flavours at all.

They say the puzzle could be explained by the penguins' evolution in the extreme cold of Antarctica

Glossary 词汇表

waddling (身体)摇摇摆摆的

gait 步态

lack 缺少

flight 飞翔的能力

oddity 奇特（现象）

bird kingdom 鸟王国

zoologists 动物学家

detect 尝到

bitter 苦味

umami 鲜味

meaty 肉味

whole 整个的，（指整条鱼被吞下）

discern 辨别

puzzle 谜，难题

evolution 进化

extreme 极端的