Cetacean tongue mobility and function: A comparative review

• Published in: Journal of anatomy 2023-09, Vol.243 (3), p.343-373
• Main Authors: Werth, Alexander J., Crompton, A. W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic environment; Cetacea; filter feeding; Food processing; ingestion; Larynx; Mastication; Mobility; morphology; oral transport; Palate; Prey; Structure-function relationships; suction feeding; swallowing; Tongue
• ISSN: 0021-8782; 1469-7580
• DOI: 10.1111/joa.13876

Cetaceans are atypical mammals whose tongues often depart from the typical (basal) mammalian condition in structure, mobility, and function. Their tongues are dynamic, innovative multipurpose tools that include the world's largest muscular structures. These changes reflect the evolutionary history of cetaceans' secondary adaptation to a fully aquatic environment. Cetacean tongues play no role in mastication and apparently a greatly reduced role in nursing (mainly channeling milk ingestion), two hallmarks of Mammalia. Cetacean tongues are not involved in drinking, breathing, vocalizing, and other non‐feeding activities; they evidently play no or little role in taste reception. Although cetaceans do not masticate or otherwise process food, their tongues retain key roles in food ingestion, transport, securing/positioning, and swallowing, though by different means than most mammals. This is due to cetaceans' aquatic habitat, which in turn altered their anatomy (e.g., the intranarial larynx and consequent soft palate alteration). Odontocetes ingest prey via raptorial biting or tongue‐generated suction. Odontocete tongues expel water and possibly uncover benthic prey via hydraulic jetting. Mysticete tongues play crucial roles driving ram, suction, or lunge ingestion for filter feeding. The uniquely flaccid rorqual tongue, not a constant volume hydrostat (as in all other mammalian tongues), invaginates into a balloon‐like pouch to temporarily hold engulfed water. Mysticete tongues also create hydrodynamic flow regimes and hydraulic forces for baleen filtration, and possibly for cleaning baleen. Cetacean tongues lost or modified much of the mobility and function of generic mammal tongues, but took on noteworthy morphological changes by evolving to accomplish new tasks. Cetacean tongues are dynamic, powerful, and innovative multipurpose tools that include the world's largest muscular structures. They play crucial roles in prey ingestion and water expulsion but are not involved in typical mammalian functions including mastication, milk ingestion, drinking, breathing, vocalizing, and other non‐feeding activities; they evidently play no or little role in taste reception. Mysticete tongues, which are not all constant‐volume hydrostats, generate hydrodynamic flow regimes and hydraulic forces for filter feeding and possibly for cleaning baleen.