Body of Tongue
The body of the tongue, also known as the Corpus linguae, is the portion of the tongue between the tip and base. The body is separated into two halves by the median sulcus. The body is separated from the base of the tongue by a V-shaped furrow, or groove, called the terminal sulcus.
The body is the part of the tongue that extends into the mouth. The average length of this portion of the tongue is about four inches. Mucosa is a moist tissue that covers the surface of the tongue, but its rough appearance is caused by tiny bumps called papillae, which house the taste buds.
The taste buds contain many nerves that convey sensory impressions of taste to the brain. This makes the tongue the body's primary taste organ. Although the tongue's taste map is very well known, the strict delineation of taste that it shows does not actually exist; every taste bud can sense each of the four common tastes (salty, sour, bitter and sweet) to some degree.
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