Flow Chart - Tongue Structure

Lingual Papillae

Mechanical

- Filiform:

Slender thread like structure, Stratified Squamous Keratinized Epi., highly vascular, well developed in cats and ruminants, fine threads in horse.

- Conical:

Larger than filiform, not as keratinized, present in the root of the tongue in dog/cat/pig, on the torus linguae of ruminants, core of lymph tissue in pig.

- Lenticular:

Flat lens-shaped, on torus lingeuae of ruminants, Stratified Squamous Keratinized Epi. w/ core of dense irreg. CT.

Gustatory

- Fungiform:

Mushroomed shaped, Non-keratinized Stratified Squamous Epi., Taste buds on upper surface, Taste bus are scares in horse and cattle, more in sheep and pig, and abundant in carnivores and goats, CT core is rich w/ BV and Nerves.

- Valate:

Large flat structure surrounded by sulcus, Non-keratinized Stratified Squamous Epi., numerous taste buds on papillary/lateral side of sulcus, serous gustatory glands at varous levels, CT core is rich w/ BV and Nerves.

- Foliate:

4-6 parallel folds on caudo-lateral margin of tongue, Non-keratinized Stratified Squamous Epi. w/ taste buds on lateral sides of the fold, absent in ruminants, rudimentary in cats w/ no taste buds.

Stratified Squamous Keratinized Epi.

Non-keratinized Stratified Squamous Epi.

Other Structures of the Tongue

- Taste Bud:

Spindle shaped epithelial cells, extend from basement membrane to the opening at epithelial surface (taste pore), 3 types of cells (sustentatacular, gustatory, and basal cells), non-mylelinated afferent nerve fibers in close association.

- Lyssa: cord like structure in tongue of carnivores, composed of (white adipose tissue, skeletal m., blood vessels, nerves, and dense irreg. CT capsule)

- Torus Lingue: large prominence on caudal/dorsal part of ruminant tongue.

- Dorsal Lingual Cartilage: mid-dorsal fibroelastic cord w/ Hyaline cartilage, skeletal m., and white adipose tissue in tongue of horse.