Cheeks are fleshy in humans and other mammals, the skin being suspended by the chin and the jaws, and forming the lateral wall of the human mouth, visibly touching the cheekbone below the eye. Some animals such as squirrels and hamsters use the buccal pouch to carry food or other items. In vertebrates, markings on the cheek area (malar stripes/spots/...), particularly immediately beneath the eye, often serve as important distinguishing features between species or individuals.
The inside of the cheek is lined with a mucous membrane (buccal mucosa, part of the oral mucosa). It is the most common location from which a DNA sample can be taken (during a cheek swab).
The cheeks are covered externally by hairy skin, and internally by stratified squamous epithelium. This is mostly smooth, but may have aborally directed papillae (e.g.: ruminants). The mucosa is supplied with secretions from the Buccal glands, which are arranged in superior and inferior groups. In carnivores, the superior buccal gland is large and discrete: the Zygomatic gland. During mastication (chewing), the cheeks and tongue between them serve to keep the food between the teeth.
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