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Proboscis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the mouth part. For the butterfly genus, see Proboscis (genus)
In general, a proboscis (from Greek pro "before" and boskein "to feed") is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal. The most common usage is to refer to the tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates like insects, worms (including proboscis worms) and mollusks. The elephant's trunk is also called a proboscis. An abnormal forehead appendage that sometimes accompanies cyclopia is also called a proboscis. The term is used for primate organs as well: an elongated human nose is sometimes humorously called a proboscis and the Proboscis Monkey is named for its enormous nose.
The correct Greek plural is proboscides, but in English it is more common to simply add -es, forming proboscises.
Notable mammals with some form of proboscis are:
- Members of the elephant family (see elephant trunk).
- Moeritherium
- Macrauchenia
- Palorchestes
- Aardvark
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