Can anemones taste??

[Fishy Something]

I have been feeding my BTA 3 - 4 times per week, a mixture of squid, fish, and small clams on a roughly rotating basis.

I recently added pieces of sardine to it's diet, and each time I have fed this (I feed in the evening) the following morning the anemone is all shrivelled, and soon after regurgitates most if not all of what it was fed the night before. This only occurs with the sardine pieces, and has now happened 3 times in a row (more in reality, but 3 times that I have been specifically observing it). It still takes the other foods without a problem.

All the foods are stored together (frozen in separate bags) & well thawed before feeding.

Needless to say I have now stopped feeding the sardine, but such a strong response to a particular food source got me wondering & led to my question - do they actually or effectively taste what they eat!!

Thanks Dr. Ron.

James

[TOM24]

They must have some type of chemoreceptors that keep them from eating clownfish. That did not stop my condy from eating a rubber suction cup. Are your sardines in oil? The bones maybe too sharp. Try silversides instead.

[rshimek]

Hi James,

Yes, all anemones can "taste."

"Taste" is nothing more than the reception and recognition of certain chemicals as being indicators of good - or bad - food items.

This chemoreception has been hardwired into most animals including sea anemones and humans. Good tasting foods provide appropriate nutrition, bad tasting ones don't. Sea anemones have many thousands of chemoreceptor cells per square millimeter over their tentacle surfaces.

So... don't feed sardines (or other rejected foods) to your anemone. It the animal rejects them (by a simple reflex - it doesn't think about the their taste) they are not an appropriate food.

:D

[Fishy Something]

Thanks Dr. Ron & TOM24,

Not that I am intending to do this, the offending food has already been discarded, but out of interest, can this behaviour change or be changed. i.e. should I try this food type again in 12 months for arguements sake, is it likely to receive the same response?

btw TOM24 we are talking about fresh sardines, not in oil or any thing else

Thanks

James

[rshimek]

Hi James,

In most cases, these dietary preferences are genetically determined and will not change. Some acclimation does occur, however, and it may not be a bad thing to try at some future time, but if the food is not acceptable now, it is unlikely to be acceptable in the future.

:D

[Fishy Something]

Thanks Dr. Ron,

Whether it was genetic or "learnt" behaviour was what I was getting at (my Q probably could have been worded better... sorry!)

Much appreciated


James