Biomechanics and Evolution of the Primate Tongue

Primate tongue morphology and function are critical to understanding the evolution of feeding, swallowing, and vocalization. In this paper, we examine the primate tongue as a muscular hydrostat with regionally specialized neuromuscular compartments. We integrate anatomical, kinematic, and biomechanical modeling approaches to analyze how muscle architecture and fiber orientation drive complex tongue deformations during functional behaviors. We evaluate the hydraulic mechanisms underlying tongue-base retraction, highlight species-specific adaptations in macaques and humans, and review primate tongue kinematics across distinct feeding stages. Finally, we synthesize recent advances in biomechanical modeling and experimental studies of tongue kinematics and their contributions to advancing three-dimensional analyses of tongue movement during feeding and speech.