The first sensory map of the fly equivalent of a tongue suggests that insects have discriminating taste -- perhaps trumping that of mammals in the ability to differentiate among bitter flavors.

In one of the portraits from our bizarre gallery of insect faces, you can see what happens when a fly sticks out its tongue. It’s a disturbingly human expression on an otherwise alien visage.

The first sensory map of the fly equivalent of a tongue suggests that insects have discriminating taste -- perhaps trumping that of mammals in the ability to differentiate among bitter flavors.

Ever wonder if insects have tongues, and if so, what do they taste? Scientists have mapped out the Drosophilia fruit fly equivalent of our tongue and have made some interesting discoveries. Taste ...

But once the fly is in the mouth, the tongue’s grip needs to loosen so the fly can slide down the gullet. “Frogs actually use their eyeballs while swallowing,” Noel says.

So sophisticated is the frog tongue that it’s capable of grabbing prey up to 1.4 times the predator’s body weight — a feat unmatched by any man-made device.

Taste receptors are actually located in a variety of places on the fly's body, but its primary taste organ is called the labellum. It's positioned on the creature's head, and it looks like a hairy ...