Hobbies And Interests

Types of Tongues

Tongues are a physiological feature common to most vertebrates. The most common function of the tongue is to aid in the chewing of food, but depending on the class and even individual species of animal, the tongue can have additional functions that make it useful for some distinct purposes.
  1. Primates

    • Most primates have tongues similar to that of a human. Primate tongues are a muscular hydrostat, which is a kind of muscle that has little or no skeletal support and is used to manipulate things like food or to help move the animal (in the case of an invertebrate like a worm). Primate tongues are kept moist by surface glands and salivary glands. They are rich in blood vessels and nerves and house the taste buds. A secondary feature of human tongues is that they also aid in speech and the production of other sounds.

    Canines and Felines

    • Canines and felines, which are mammals, have tongues that are similar in many ways to other mammals, including primates. They are, for example, packed with nerves and blood flow, kept moist by the body and often used as a way to clean the teeth. The tongues of most canines and felines though are also used as a cleaning tool for the fur and the body. They have a rough texture that allows for this. Canine tongues are also used as heat regulators.

    Prehensile Tongues

    • Prehensile is defined as an organ or appendage that is capable of holding or grasping. A prehensile tongue, then, is a tongue that can be used to grasp or hold on to things in the environment. A frog's tongue is an excellent example. A frog often uses its tongue to latch on to prey that wanders too close, and retracts the tongue while holding onto it. Chameleons are another reptile with a similar kind of tongue, and giraffes are one example of a mammal with this kind of tongue.

    Fish

    • Many different species of fish also have what could loosely be considered a tongue, though there are not many similarities between mammal tongues, for instance, and fish tongues. Fish tongues are called basihyals and typically consist of nothing more than some small amount of skin, cartilage, or a combination of the two that vaguely resembless a tongue. Many fish tongues have no apparent use, though some species, several sharks for instance, do use their tongue in a limited capacity to help ensnare prey.


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