Slow-motion X-ray footage of mudskippers using a "water tongue" to capture food on land offers a clue to the way tongues evolved. read more
Every part of the body forms by the differential growth of tissues the undergoing cell division from the basic form of the zygote. The human tongue forms from three different parts of the head region of the embryo. The three different parts are parts of the three different pharyngeal arches that develop from the head region. read more
Within terrestrial vertebrates, there is considerable variability in the specific structure of the tongue, the degree of participation of the hyoid skeleton (that is, a complex of bones at the base of the tongue which supports the tongue and its muscles), and the mechanisms of movement. read more
UPDATE 8/25/07: I stand corrected on woodpecker tongues. I have been shown that woodpecker tongues pose no problem for microevolution. read more