Do Woodpecker Tongues Wrap Around the Brain? (Action Video and Diagrams)
Woodpeckers with long tongues have specialized wiry structures that wrap around the skull, but not in direct contact with the brain. This Y-shaped structure consists of stiff, yet flexible, cartilage-and-bone connected to their tongues called the hyoid apparatus. The specialized hyoid apparatus allows woodpeckers to extend their rigid tongues for several inches to probe into … Read more
