Editing Muscular hydrostat (section)

{{Short description|Body part type that consists mainly of muscles with no skeletal support}}
[[Image:que lengua.jpg|thumb|right|The [[tongue]] is a muscular hydrostat.]]
A '''muscular hydrostat''' is a biological structure found in [[animal]]s. It is used to manipulate items (including food) or to move its host about and consists mainly of [[muscle]]s with no [[skeletal]] support. It performs its [[hydraulics|hydraulic]] movement without [[fluid]] in a separate compartment, as in a [[hydrostatic skeleton]]. 

A muscular hydrostat, like a hydrostatic skeleton, relies on the fact that [[water]] is effectively [[Properties of water#Compressibility|incompressible]] at [[physiology|physiological]] pressures.  In contrast to a hydrostatic skeleton, where muscle surrounds a fluid-filled cavity, a muscular hydrostat is composed mainly of muscle tissue.  Since muscle tissue itself is mainly made of water and is also effectively incompressible, similar principles apply.