Palate, << PAL iht, >> is the roof of the mouth. The palate has two parts, the hard palate, in front, and the soft palate, behind. The hard palate is composed of the palatine bones and parts of the maxillary bones. It is covered with a mucous membrane.
The soft palate is a fold of muscular tissue covered by epithelial tissue with mucous glands. The palate separates the mouth and the nasal cavity. During swallowing, the soft palate rises and blocks off the entrance to the rear nasal passage. This enables animals to breathe while swallowing. A projection that is called the uvula hangs from the middle of the soft palate.
Only mammals and crocodiles have a palate like that of a human being. In other animals, the base of the skull also serves as the roof of the mouth. Fishes, amphibians, and reptiles may have teeth growing from the roof of the mouth.
