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Description
Despite descending from radially symmetrical ancestors, the overall format of a Heteropod's digestive system is surprisingly similar to that seen in bilateral organisms such as vertebrates. They possess a mouth and esophagus, a stomach and gallbladder for breaking down food, and an upper and lower intestine for absorbing the nutrients. They also possess a liver for eliminating mild toxins from the food they eat. As one might expect, however, their alien evolutionary background has led to very peculiar deviations from what would be considered "normal" for animals from Earth. They have two tongues capable of independent movement, each with their own hyoid bone. In addition to a mouth, Heteropods also possess a unique organ called a nasorium, a modified pair of anterior nostrils at the tip of their lower jaw that leads directly into the buccal cavity rather than the larynx. The nasorium functions as a "second mouth" used specifically for drinking water, and allows Heteropods to hydrate themselves without having to risk flooding their airways. In species that almost exclusively feed on liquid foods (ex: nectarivores, hematophages), the nasorium is even more specialized, replacing the mouth as the primary feeding orifice. There are even species that use the nasorium to deliver venom.

Description
Despite descending from radially symmetrical ancestors, the overall format of a Heteropod's digestive system is surprisingly similar to that seen in bilateral organisms such as vertebrates. They possess a mouth and esophagus, a stomach and gallbladder for breaking down food, and an upper and lower intestine for absorbing the nutrients. They also possess a liver for eliminating mild toxins from the food they eat. As one might expect, however, their alien evolutionary background has led to very peculiar deviations from what would be considered "normal" for animals from Earth. They have two tongues capable of independent movement, each with their own hyoid bone. In addition to a mouth, Heteropods also possess a unique organ called a nasorium, a modified pair of anterior nostrils at the tip of their lower jaw that leads directly into the buccal cavity rather than the larynx. The nasorium functions as a "second mouth" used specifically for drinking water, and allows Heteropods to hydrate themselves without having to risk flooding their airways. In species that almost exclusively feed on liquid foods (ex: nectarivores, hematophages), the nasorium is even more specialized, replacing the mouth as the primary feeding orifice. There are even species that use the nasorium to deliver venom.