11.6: Mouth
The mouth takes food into the body. The lips hold the food inside the mouth during chewing and allow the baby animal to suck on its mother’s teat. In elephants the lips (and nose) have developed into the trunk which is the main food collecting tool. Some mammals, e.g. hamsters, have stretchy cheek pouches that they use to carry food or material to make their nests.
The sight or smell of food and its presence in the mouth stimulates the salivary glands to secrete saliva . There are four pairs of these glands in cats and dogs (see diagram 11.3). The fluid they produce moistens and softens the food making it easier to swallow. It also contains the enzyme, salivary amylase , which starts the digestion of starch.
The tongue moves food around the mouth and rolls it into a ball for swallowing. Taste buds are located on the tongue and in dogs and cats it is covered with spiny projections used for grooming and lapping. The cow’s tongue is prehensile and wraps around grass to graze it.
Swallowing is a complex reflex involving 25 different muscles. It pushes food into the oesophagus and at the same time a small flap of tissue called the epiglottis closes off the windpipe so food doesn’t go ‘down the wrong way’ and choke the animal (see diagram 11.4).
Diagram 11.3 - Salivary glands
Diagram 11.4 - Section through the head of a dog