Adelie Penguins
On Paulet Island, I was walking with someone when an adult Adelie Penguin and a hungry chick came running at us. We froze, and the two penguins stopped right near us. We were close enough to see down the adult's throat. All penguins have soft backwards pointing barbs lining the inside of their bill, tongue, and upper throat, enabling them to grab and swallow slippery prey underwater without the help of gravity. Penguins cannot taste the fish they swallow. They can taste sour and salty, but they lack functioning genes for detecting sweet, bitter, or umami. Umami is meaty flavours, such as fish. It does not matter, because penguins swallow their food whole.
Adelie Penguins
On Paulet Island, I was walking with someone when an adult Adelie Penguin and a hungry chick came running at us. We froze, and the two penguins stopped right near us. We were close enough to see down the adult's throat. All penguins have soft backwards pointing barbs lining the inside of their bill, tongue, and upper throat, enabling them to grab and swallow slippery prey underwater without the help of gravity. Penguins cannot taste the fish they swallow. They can taste sour and salty, but they lack functioning genes for detecting sweet, bitter, or umami. Umami is meaty flavours, such as fish. It does not matter, because penguins swallow their food whole.