Dewlap or Wattle?

Tom turkeys have this odd thing that hangs under their chins. It's called a wattle. It's basically a sack of skin that does nothing other than to entertain silly men like me...and dazzle the ladies.

Here's what Wikipedia says:

A wattle is a fleshy caruncle hanging from various parts of the head or neck in several groups of birds, mammals and other animals. A caruncle is defined as 'A small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy'. Within this definition, caruncles in birds include wattles, dewlaps, snoods and earlobes. Wattles are generally paired structures but may occur as a single structure when it is sometimes known as a dewlap. Wattles are frequently organs of sexual dimorphism. In some birds, caruncles are erectile tissue and may or may not have a feather covering.


So why am I mentioning this? Well, it's because I think I'm growing one. Last week I looked in the mirror and noticed something strange about my neck. It looked 'saggy' in one particular spot. I went about my business and consulted the mirror later in the day. Still there. I'll confess that while in Toronto I tend to eat a lot of sweeties and baked goods. I combat my lifestyle of excess with ramped up workouts. Still, the wattle is winning the battle. It's alive!

How do you know it's not a dewlap, Ian?

Hmmm. I don't know. Time for more research. Again, from Wikipedia:

A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. While the term is usually used in this specific context, it can also be used to include other structures occurring in the same body area with a similar aspect, such as those caused by a double chin or the submandibular vocal sac of a frog. In a more general manner, the term refers to any pendulous mass of skin, such as a fold of loose skin on an elderly person's neck, or the wattle of a bird. Dewlaps can be considered as a caruncle, defined as 'a small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy'.

Many mammals such as dogs, rabbits and moose (elk) possess dewlaps. Many birds also have dewlaps, such as domestic chickens, some cracids and some guans. In zebu cattle, the dewlap is colloquially known as the "briefcase folds".

So....what have we learned? I've learned that there are a lot of words to which I know not the meaning and/or never utter: submandibular, pendulous, caruncle, excrescence, cracids, guans, and zebu. To be a writer, I really must start to incorporate more intriguing words into my little blogs. My brothers, Doug and Alex, are both excellent writers and highly literate. They probably know most of these words. They are also car owners thus making them Julian's caruncles, I suppose.

I am somewhat confused as to whether I am growing a wattle or a dewlap. How does one know in the early stages, before it has fully fleshed out? What do you think....do I look more like a moose or a turkey?