Unless she shares properties with Mimics, thinking about the physiology of that is a bit nauseating. I can understand if it was just a tongue but it being a full on tentacle is more disturbing than anything.
Unless she shares properties with Mimics, thinking about the physiology of that is a bit nauseating. I can understand if it was just a tongue but it being a full on tentacle is more disturbing than anything.
I mean, octopis has no tongue...given the change in diet from mollusks and crabs that necessitates a new organ that helps them swirl food around in their mouth to accommodate masticating a tentacle would be their best bet, no?
A fully prehensile tongue would be a better bet. There are quite a few mammals with those. A tentacle with the same surface tissue as the other outside surfaces of the body and extra suction cups would be like a human having an extra arm or leg inside their mouth, i.e. extremely uncomfortable at best.
the difference is if there's suckers on it or not.
Not only that. Surface tissue (epithelium) that is meant to face the outside environment has a very different structure from that which only contacts internal surfaces most of the time. For one thing, the former is mostly dead so it can block out moisture and lose mass with little consequence while the latter is mostly vital because it needs to be permeable and replace itself more frequently. If you've seen people who needed skin grafts to replace diseaased oral tissue you'll know they lose almost all functionality and it does little beyond filling space.
Also, if you've seen how live suckers affect human skin imagine what that would do to oesophageal membranes like the interior of the mouth and throat.
Not only that. Surface tissue (epithelium) that is meant to face the outside environment has a very different structure from that which only contacts internal surfaces most of the time. For one thing, the former is mostly dead so it can block out moisture and lose mass with little consequence while the latter is mostly vital because it needs to be permeable and replace itself more frequently. If you've seen people who needed skin grafts to replace diseaased oral tissue you'll know they lose almost all functionality and it does little beyond filling space.
Also, if you've seen how live suckers affect human skin imagine what that would do to oesophageal membranes like the interior of the mouth and throat.
The difference between epithelial layers does make sense for human, but not that much important for octopi. Their actual epidermis are very thin because most of their anti-abrasive protection comes from the mucus layers secreted by it, and most of the spaces beneath the epidermis are reserved by chromatophores instead. And yes, by nature octopi skins are already permeable.
Also, octopis can control how forceful they use their suckers. Heck, if that's the thing you're worried about how about questioning if they have similar digestive system to human, all structures considered? Even humans 'rest' their tongues by using suction mechanism to keep them stuck on your palatum durum; a Scylla having tentacle for tongue that can retract into their esophagus and rest on their upper part of their throat using suckers doesn't seem to be that far-fetched.
