70 ANATOMY OF THE KAT 



ward from the hard palate. The surface of the soft palate 

 bears small papillae. The palate is widest at the posterior 

 part of the molar tooth region, decreasing in width forward 

 to the inturned lobes of the upper lips, and backward to the 

 pharynx. A membranous ridge, the palatine arch (pillar 

 of the fauces), extends ventrally from the posterior end 

 of the soft palate on each side of the isthmus faucium. The 

 hard palate bears eight transverse ridges, the most anterior 

 of which is ventral to the prepalatine foramina. The three 

 anterior ridges are the largest and lie in front of the molar 

 teeth. The other five ridges are within and behind the 

 molar region. These five may assume approximately the 

 form of a letter w, with the base of the letter forward, or 

 the form of a bow, or of an obtuse angle whose anteriorly 

 directed apex lies in the mid-dorsal region of the palate. 

 Each of the five ridges bears a row of short spines through- 

 out its length. Other denticulated ridges, which do not 

 reach the median line of the hard palate, may also be 

 present. At the posterior end of the hard palate is a 

 triangular area bearing spines. 



Carefully disarticulate the lower jaw. The tongue is 

 an elongated muscular organ extending from the pharynx 

 forward to the incisor teeth. It fits snugly into the floor 

 of the mouth between the molar teeth. Anterior to the 

 molars it is unattached to the mouth floor. The vertical 

 frenulum which in some animals connects this anterior 

 free region of the tongue with the mouth floor is absent. 

 A median dorsal furrow extends seven or eight millimeters 

 back from the tip. The tongue is attached to the floor 

 of the mouth from the anterior molar teeth caudad. The 

 proximal one-sixth of the organ is attached on both sides 

 also, so that it alone forms the floor at the back of the 

 mouth. The tongue unites with the hyoid bone a short 

 distance in front of the epiglottis. 



