Do insects have tongues?
Insects do not have tongues but instead some have small palps by the sides of their mouths that perform the same function. Their “teeth” are their mandibles (usually only two) and the food is manipulated by their top and bottom labia (like their lips) and their palps. Others have a tube like appendage called a “Proboscis” to suck up food like nectar, pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung and other substances that are dissolved into a liquid state. The food of choice depends strictly on the species, as some will feed on different things than others. Proboscis comes from the Greek “pro” meaning before and “boskein” meaning to feed.
