Abstract :
The morphology of lingual papillae of the ten male mature Saanen goats (11 months old,
approximately 42 kg in weight and of a known pedigree) was examined by scanning electron
microscopy. Tissues were taken from the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the apex, body
and root of the tongue, and were prepared accordingly and observed under the scanning
electron microscope. On the dorsal and ventro-lateral surfaces of the lingual mucosa, three
types of mechanical papillae (filiform, lenticular, and conical) and two types of gustatory
papillae (vallate and fungiform) were observed. The structure and density of the filiform
papillae differentiated on the anterior, posterior and ventro-lateral aspects of the tongue.
Two types of lenticular papillae, both possessing a prominent surrounding papillary groove,
were determined. The pyramidal-shaped type I lenticular papilla had a pointed apex while
the round-shaped type II lenticular papilla possessed a blunt apex. Certain number of the
type I lenticular papillae had double apices. The larger conical papillae were hollow structures,
differing structurally from the filiform papillae with their larger size, a tip without
projections and lack of the secondary papillae. The vallate papillae were present on both
rims of the torus linguae, were encircled by a prominent gustatory furrow which was also
surrounded by a thick annular fold. The fungiform papillae were scattered among the filiform
papillae in the anterior two-thirds of the dorsal and lateral surfaces, and each of them
was highly protected by surrounding filiform papillae, yet encircled by a papillary groove.
Our findings indicate that Saanen goat have profuse distribution of papillae on the tongue
displaying morphological features characteristic of mechanical function.
