The Cat’s Tongue

Domestic cats are known for their grooming habits. They may
devote 24 percent of their waking hours to grooming. This cleaning
habit owes its efficiency to the cat’s amazingly equipped tongue.
Consider: The cat’s tongue is covered with 290 papillae, tiny
backward-facing spines that are about as stiff as your fingernail.
Each papilla has a groove that instantly picks up saliva when the
tongue is drawn into the cat’s mouth. As the cat licks its fur, the
papillae reach down through the hairs and release the saliva onto
the skin.

A cat’s tongue can transfer about 48 milliliters (1.6 oz) of saliva to

its skin and fur every day. This saliva contains enzymes that break
down contaminants. Additionally, as the saliva evaporates, it
provides almost one quarter of the cat’s body cooling—essential
because cats have few sweat glands.

If one of the papillae hits a tangle, it swings deeper into the fur,
which substantially increases the force and pulls the snag loose.
The tips of the papillae may also stimulate the skin when the cat is
grooming. Researchers imitated the properties of the cat’s tongue
when they made an experimental hairbrush. This brush combs hair
with less force than a standard hairbrush and can be cleaned more
easily—plus it unsnarls tangles. The researchers believe that the
cat’s tongue could inspire the development of better ways to clean
hairy and shaggy surfaces. It may also be used to improve methods
of applying lotions or medications onto skin that is covered with
hair.
What do you think? Did the cat’s tongue evolve? Or was it
designed?