Muscle is a soft tissue found in most animals. Muscle cells contain protein filaments of actin and myosin that slide past one another, producing a contraction that changes both the length and the shape of the cell. The statement that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body appears frequently in lists of surprising facts, but it is difficult to find any definition of strength that would make this statement true. 2  Note that the tongue consists of eight muscles, not one.