Comparative studies of both the macro and micro anatomy in primates are sparse and incomplete, yet there is evidence that gustatory adaptation exists in several primate taxa. Taste buds can be found across the tongue, but the ones found within the fungiform papillae on the anterior two thirds of the tongue are the first gustatory structures to come into contact with food, and are critical in making food ingestion decisions. The mobility of the primate tongue allows for the manipulation of food, but, in addition, houses both general sensory afferents and special sensory end organs. These features were not observed in the destructive flower feeder, Lemur catta. The non-destructive flower-feeding species share similar tongue and sublingua anatomy, suggesting that the observed features may be adaptive for flower feeding. In addition, histological images of the ventro-apical portion of the tongue show that tongue houses an encapsulated structure in all species studied. Most notably, there are large distinct papillae present at the tip of the tongue in nectar-feeding species. ![]() We found differences in the size, shape, and distribution of the tongue’s papillae. To study the tongue’s structure, we used direct observation together with different microscopy techniques, ranging from optical microscopy to electronic microscopy. ![]() We included two non-destructive nectar-feeders, Varecia variegata and Eulemur macaco, and one destructive flower feeder, Lemur catta. Here, we compare both the macro and micro anatomy of the tongue in three lemurid species. Comparative studies of primate gustatory anatomy are sparse and incomplete.
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