Favorite Food

Do animals have favorite foods? And if so, what determines their preferences? Discover the answer now as we explore the science behind animal food preferences.

Summary

Every animal in the kingdom has its list of food it will consume and food it won’t. But they also have food that they would choose over all others, which would be considered a favorite food. Individual animals develop their own tastes for certain foods, and they often contribute to certain health or lifestyle benefits. For instance, a penguin’s favorite food is krill, a shrimp-like crustacean. Krill is a survival food for animals that live in harsh climates, as they are abundant and easy to catch. 

Can animals differentiate tastes?

Most vertebrate animals have taste buds similar to humans, although varying in quality and quantity. Taste sensitivity depends on the amount and type of taste buds an animal has. Dogs, for instance, have similar taste buds to humans and can identify salty, sweet, bitter, and sour foods. If you’ve ever tried to feed your dog something sour, you may notice how it recoils, much like you would. Different species have taste buds that help them detect the food they are most interested in.

What Determines an Animal’s Favorite Food?

The purpose of an animal’s senses, like taste and smell, is to help them determine the palatability and nutrition of certain foods. Some animals care more about taste than others, while others will eat almost anything. Animals choose their favorite food not only by taste but by what their bodies need to survive. Cats, for instance, are carnivorous, meaning they search out foods rich in protein. Lions eat meat and a lot of it. While they are not known to be picky eaters, they do avoid certain prey and target others more. Lions eat a lot of antelopes and zebra because they provide them the nutrition they need, but also because they are easy to take down. These big cats are likely to avoid targeting animals, like adult elephants, because it would take too much energy.