Mohamed M. A. Abumandour

Summary

This paper presents a comparison of the morphological structure of the filiform papillae in New Zealand white rabbits as domestic mammals and Egyptian fruit bats as wild mammals. This study was carried out on the tongues of adult healthy New Zealand white rabbits and Egyptian fruit bats of both sexes. There were four types of lingual papillae in both animals. In the Egyptian fruit bats, there were six subtypes of the filiform papillae; three on the anterior part (small, conical and giant), two on the middle part (cornflower and leaf-like papillae) while the posterior part contain rosette shape filiform papillae, in addition to transitional papillae and conical papillae. In New Zealand white rabbits, there were four subtypes of filiform papillae; spoonful conical (on the lingual anterior part), processed (at the anterior edge of lingual prominence), leaf-like (on the posterior area of lingual prominence) and triangular filiform papillae (on the lingual root). The shape, size, number and orientation of the lingual papillae itself and its processes varied according to their location within the tongue (region-specific) in relation to the feeding habits, strategies for obtaining food, climate conditions, and types of food particles.

KEY WORDS: Filiform papillae; Egyptian fruit bat; New Zealand white rabbits; Scanning electron microscope (SEM).

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