- The black-and-white ruffed lemurs preferred eight of the nine sweet-tasting substances that were tested during this study when tested against water.
- There were mixed results for the preference for saccharin and L-alanine, with one animal showing neither preference nor rejection whereas the other showed a rejection for the former and a preference for the latter substance.
- Interestingly, the black-and-white ruffed lemur displayed a preference for both of the tested stevioglycosides, despite the fact that the lemurs most likely have never been exposed to these substances, as they are endemic to different continents.
- More research is needed on the taste responsiveness of non-human primates for a wide variety of substances, including the nine sweet-tasting ones tested in the present study, if we are to understand how the sense of taste has evolved within the primate order.
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Last updated:
05/19/15