Mouth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Mouth (disambiguation).
male human mouth
The mouth, also known as the buccal cavity or the oral cavity, is the orifice through which an organism takes in food and water.
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[edit] Location
In all mammals, the mouth is forward-facing in the face. Non-mammals have mouths in other locations (i.e. the mouth of the planarium is in the middle of its abdomen). Some animals, such as the cnidarians, the brachiopods, and the planaria, do not have a separate anus, and thus expel waste through the mouth.
[edit] Anatomy
Most animals have a complete digestive system, with a mouth at one end and an anus at the other. Which end forms first in ontogeny is a criterion used to classify animals into protostome and deuterostome.
[edit] Uses
Generally the mouth is used to intake food, though it has other uses.
- In snakes, the mouth is used to inject venom through fangs
- Many animals lacking opposable thumbs use the mouth to hold objects, including food or young.