Muscles of the tongue: coronal section (English)

In this image you can identify each of the 8 paired muscles of the tongue, which are separated left from right by a median lingual septum. The intrinsic muscles (superior longitudinal muscle, inferior longitudinal muscle, vertical muscle and transverse muscle) are confined within the core of the tongue. They are flanked on either side by the styloglossus, hyoglossus and palatoglossus muscles which enter the side of the tongue, decussating with each other as well as the inferior longitudinal muscle. The genioglossus muscle is located medially on either side of the lingual septum. The hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), which innervates most of the muscles of the tongue, is also shown in this image.