• Includes the tongue, lips and teeth

• The mouth is stratified squamous epithelium, similar to the skin

• Has salivary glands and enzymes to aid in chemical digestion

• It is also made up of a hard palate and soft palate

• Cows had this hard pad called a dental pad on the top of the mouth, instead of any incisors or canines(teeth)

• The dental formula for cows is: 0033/4033

• It is believed that this is used for ripping grass from the ground, using their bottom incisors to tear it from the ground

• This is also stratified squamous epithelium like the skin, but lacks cornified cells(stratified) corneum)

• There are muscle fibers which run in 3 directions, and also muscles which guide the tongue in specific directions

• The tongue has lots of papillae and taste buds as well

• There are 3 major regions of the tongue: apex (most rostral), body( majority of tongue), and ro ot(most caudal, muscle attachments and hyoid apparatus)

There are multiple salivary glands present, but here are the main ones

• Sublingual

• Mandibular

• Parotid

Salivary enzymes are found in these places, which aid in chemical digestion. Lysozymes are for antibacterial and amylase breaks down sugars