First, lips and mouth {mouth, body}| receive food.
mouth {maw}.
A muscular appendage {tongue muscle}| attached to mouth back has taste buds, pushes food onto teeth, and rolls food into boluses.
Tongue muscle pushes food onto teeth and rolls food into balls {bolus}. Muscles push bolus into pharynx.
Organs {pharynx}| after mouth receive Eustachian tubes and have swallowing reflexes.
Mouth roof {palate}| is hard in front and soft in back.
Palate front {hard palate}| has bone covered by mucosa.
Palate back {soft palate}| {velum} has connective tissue and muscle. Soft palate can close opening to nasal cavity while swallowing.
Soft palate has one cone {uvula}| hanging down, which can swell, causing snoring.
At throat back are two ovoid lymph-tissue regions {tonsil}|.
After pharynx, one tube {esophagus}| goes to stomach. Opening esophagus stimulates peristalsis down esophagus, to carry bolus to stomach.
Mouth glands {salivary gland}| secrete watery or mucous saliva, to hydrolyze starch to dextrins or glucose and to moisten food.
Salivary glands {parotid gland} can be near ear fronts.
Salivary glands {sublingual gland} can be under tongue.
Salivary glands {submaxillary gland} can be near jaw angle.
4-Zoology-Organ-Digestion-Parts
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Date Modified: 2022.0225