Sunday, September 7, 2008

Bizarre hyoids

Just got a look at howler monkey hyoids and they are truly strange. For those that don't know, hyoids are the little floater bones in the front of the throat that serve as attachment points for some tongue and throat muscles. Most are shaped like little Us or Ys with two sets of "horns". The howler monkey's hyoid is a pouch, which apparently they use as a resonator to help them scream really loud. Ranks right up there in strangeness with flickers and hummingbirds that can have their hyoids wrap around their heads to let them stick their tongues WAY out.

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