Taste buds

[mike007]

Do you think fish have taste buds? Can they really taste their food?

 

[Eienna]

Several species of catfish have so many, they can taste their food by sitting on it!

 

[Bad Company]

I d say that anything the has to be selective about what it eats has taste buds of some sort, otherwise how does it know it is getting the right food? I would be that anything that can move, and can choose what it eats has taste buds.

 

[TruRacr314x]

They have some sense of taste or smell...I feed frozen...and to me it all looks the same floating in the water, but the fish pick through it and sometimes even spit some things back out and eat the piece next to it that looked identical. So they have some sense that lets them know something about what goes in their mouth!

 

[tyler1503]

I say yes. I feed different foods that look pretty similar in the water column an have a similar texture and get different responses to each. My puffer will devour anything like prawn, squid and octopus, but doesn't really seem to like flathead, muscle or crab.
Most of the food I give him is soft white fleshy meat, not much to look at, and once it's chopped up small enough is difficult to see much of a difference in. So I say yes they do taste :)

 

[tyler1503]

Oh, and ever see a fish eat his own poo then spit it out? I don't think that's because he's considering it's nutritional value then thinks "nah, I'm on a diet" :P

 

[Acroholics]

Oh, and ever see a fish eat his own poo then spit it out? I don't think that's because he's considering it's nutritional value then thinks "nah, I'm on a diet" :P

Haha I always catch my fish doing this

 

[chefb_5]

I think fish taste with there eye's and there amazing sense of smell! I really don't see how they can have any type of taste buds that is crazy to think. It's all about texture smell and size. I see that some freshwater fish have taste buds in and outside of there body and fins. I don't really see anythiy about saltwater fish having taste buds.