Do you ever wish you had more of one particular body part ? An spare duad of hand could issue forth in well , ready to hand , as would having another pair of eye in the back of our head – but what about two tongues ? That might vocalise like the stuff of nightmare to us , but for lemurs , it ’s far more helpful than repulsion - same .
If you ’re wonder where on Earth lemurs are stashing a second clapper , take a look at one of the many delightful moving-picture show on the net of lemurs doing a “ mlem ” . Peer a little closer , underneath the main lingua , and there should be a humble , white feature that might look pointed or brush - like – that ’s the sublingua ( literally meaning “ under tongue ) , their secondary tongue .
Unlike the primary tongue above it , the sublingua is n’t part of the sensory experience ; it does n’t have tastebuds . Not long after it was first described back in the former 20th century , some scientist thought that itdidn’t have a purposeat all , believing it to be a vestigial structure .
If you’ve ever wondered what lemur teeth look like, well now you know.Image credit: Alex Dunkel viaWikimedia Commons(CC BY 3.0)
Nowadays , however , it ’s widely mean to be related to another unusual part of lemur anatomy – thetoothcomb . This is a set of six foresighted tooth constitute at the front of a lemur ’s low-spirited jaw , featuring two canines and four incisors , which does in fact front a bit like a comb thanks to small gaps between each tooth .
Like its namesake , the toothcomb is used in grooming , although it does more than get rid of pestiferous knots . This structure can also helplemursremove bits of debris from their own and other lemur ’ pelt .
Trouble is , like our own teeth , stuff – in this fount , dust and fur rather than a bit of spinach – can get stuck in the gaps . We might call on to some floss or a toothpick in this representative , and the sublingua is the lemur equivalent , keeping their work up - in grooming tool overnice and percipient .
It ’s a characteristic that ready good sense consider how of import effective grooming is to lemur spirit ; so - called “ social grooming ” is a way of life in which the bonds between individuals and groups of lemur can beef up . No one ’s going to want to be yourpalif you ca n’t keep your coxcomb neat .
as luck would have it , making beneficial use of a toothcomb and sublingua is n’t the only way for a lemur to create and wield strong bonds – it also move around out that , like many of us , they alsolove a good gossip .
