Tumescence fut coins and papilla erection persist throughout tongueretraction, and nectar, trapped between the rows of erect papillae,is carried into the mouth, write the authors. "The tongue tip doesnot increase in overall volume as it elongates, suggesting thatmuscle contraction against the tongue's fixed volume is primarilyresponsible for tip elongation, whereas papilla erection is ahydraulic process driven by blood flow.
Glossophaga soricina tongueCally Harper In a resting state, the papillae lie flat against the tongue,only perking up when needed. So as muscles in the tongue squeezeand contract to elongate the tongue, it seems they are also pushingblood to the tongue's tip where the papillae then fan outperpendicular to the tongue's axis. The idea is to make the tip'ssurface area as big as possible. The control the bats exerciseusing those muscles is compared in the study to how elephant trunksor squid tentacles move.
Glossophaga soricina tongueCally Harper In a resting state, the papillae lie flat against the tongue,only perking up when needed. So as muscles in the tongue squeezeand contract to elongate the tongue, it seems they are also pushingblood to the tongue's tip where the papillae then fan outperpendicular to the tongue's axis. The idea is to make the tip'ssurface area as big as possible. The control the bats exerciseusing those muscles is compared in the study to how elephant trunksor squid tentacles move.