Proboscis

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Proboscis

In general, a proboscis (from Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
p??, pro "before" and ß?s?e??, boskein "to feed" also known as probiscus) is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal

Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
, either a vertebrate

Vertebrate

Vertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with Vertebras or Vertebral columns. The grouping sometimes includes the hagfish, which have no vertebrae, but are genetically quite closely related to lampreys, which do have vertebrae....
or an invertebrate

Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
..

The correct Greek plural is proboscides, but in English it is more common to simply add -es, forming proboscises.

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Encyclopedia

In general, a proboscis (from Greek

Greek language

Animal

Vertebrate

Invertebrate

Invertebrates

The most common usage is to refer to the tubular feeding

Feeding

Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffix -vore from Latin vorare, meaning 'to devour', or phagy, from Greek fa?e??, meaning 'to eat'....
and sucking organ of certain invertebrate

Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s such as insects (e.g., moths and butterflies

Insect mouthparts

Insects exhibit a range of mouthparts, adapted to particular modes of feeding. The earliest insects had chewing mouthparts. Specialisation has mostly been for piercing and sucking, although a range of specialisations exist, as these modes of feeding have evolved a number of times , however female mosquitoes feed on animal blood whereas ap...
), worm

Worm

A worm is a common name given to a diverse group of invertebrate animals that have a long, soft body and no legs. There are hundreds of thousands of species of worms, 2,700 of these are earthworms....
s (including proboscis worms

Nemertea

Nemertea is a phylum of invertebrate animals also known as ribbon worms or proboscis worms. Most of the 1,400 or so species are marine, with a few living in fresh water and a small number of terrestrial animal; they are found in all marine habits, and throughout the world's oceans....
) and gastropod molluscs.

Vertebrates

The elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
's trunk and the tapir

Tapir

Tapirs are large Herbivory mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. They inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia....
's elongated nose are called "proboscis", as is the snout of the male elephant seal

Elephant seal

Elephant seals are large, oceangoing earless seals in the genus Mirounga. There are two species: the Northern Elephant Seal and the Southern Elephant Seal ....
.

The Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis Monkey

The Proboscis Monkey is also known as the Monyet Belanda in Malay language, the Bekantan in Indonesian language or simply the Long-nosed Monkey....
is named for its enormous nose, and an elongated human nose

Nose

Anatomically, a nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which admit and expel air for Respiration in conjunction with the mouth....
is sometimes facetiously called a proboscis.

An abnormal facial appendage that sometimes accompanies ocular and nasal abnormalities in humans is also called a proboscis.

Notable mammals with some form of proboscis are:

Members of the elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
family (see elephant trunk
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
).
Moeritherium
Moeritherium

Moeritherium is a genus consisting of several species. These prehistoric mammals are related to the elephant and, more distantly, the sea cow....
Macrauchenia
Macrauchenia

'Macrauchenia' was a long-necked and long-limbed, three-toed South American ungulate mammal, typifying the order Litopterna. The oldest fossils date back to around seven million years ago, and M....
Palorchestes
Palorchestes

Palorchestes azael is an extinct species of marsupial that appeared during the Miocene, and went extinct about 40,000 years ago....
Aardvark
Aardvark

The Aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is sometimes called "antbear", "anteater", "Cape anteater" , "earth hog" or "earth pig"....
Tapiridae
Elephant shrew
Elephant shrew

Elephant shrews or jumping shrews are small insectivore mammals native to Africa, belonging to the Macroscelididae family, in the order Macroscelidea....
s
Numbat
Numbat

The Numbat , also known as the Walpurti, is a small marsupial endemic to Western Australia. The Numbat is the sole member of the genus Myrmecobius and the Family Myrmecobiidae, one of the three families that make up the order Dasyuromorphia, the generalised marsupial carnivores....
Proboscis Monkey
Proboscis Monkey

The Proboscis Monkey is also known as the Monyet Belanda in Malay language, the Bekantan in Indonesian language or simply the Long-nosed Monkey....

Proboscis

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

See also