Light and Scanning Electron Microscopic Study on the Tongue and Lingual Papillae of the Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius amphibius

Abstract

AbstractScanning electron microscopic micrograph of the connective tissue core of fungiform papillae distributed in the dorsal surface of the tongue in the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius amphibius). There are various kinds of lingual papillae distributed on the dorsal surface of the tongue among mammal species. It has been revealed that there were morphological differences found on each lingual papilla; filiform, fungiform, conical, foliate, and vallate papillae depend on the mammalian species, especially on the connective tissue cores beneath the epithelial surface. The fungiform connective tissue core of hippopotamus exhibited are quite similar to those found in the other artiodactyls; however, it lacked other typical morphological types of the lingual papillae found on the artiodactyl species. The unique mosaic‐like morphological characteristics of the hippopotamus' lingual papillae may represent the unique evolutional or dietary background of this species. See Yoshimura et al., on page 921, in this issue. (Scanning electron micrograph courtesy of the authors).