What feature equips the inside of a penguin's mouth to secure slippery prey?
Answer
Large, rear-directed, keratinized spines on the tongue and palate.
To effectively capture and prevent the escape of slippery prey such as fish and squid, penguins have specialized internal mouth structures. Both the tongue and the palate inside the mouth are equipped with numerous spines. These spines are made of keratin, are quite large, and crucially, they are oriented backward (rear-directed). This arrangement functions like barbs, allowing the penguin to firmly grip the prey once caught and facilitate its movement down the esophagus toward the stomach, making escape nearly impossible.
Related Questions
What physical advantage does the Emperor penguin's sheer bulk provide in cold climates?How do penguin flippers generate underwater propulsion compared to flying birds?What mechanism allows penguins to drink seawater efficiently?What does the term fusiform describe regarding the penguin's body shape?What specific adaptation do King penguins have for managing intense sunlight?What characteristic defines the Banded Group (*Spheniscus*) of penguins?Why are penguin legs set far back on their body in terms of terrestrial motion?Which structural adaptation aids Antarctic penguins like the Adélie in preventing freezing in extremities?What feature equips the inside of a penguin's mouth to secure slippery prey?What is the primary purpose of the uropygial gland secretion during penguin preening?