5 incredible animal tongues

Giraffes

Giraffes, the tallest mammals on the planet, are known for their astonishing tongues, which can be up to 53 cm long. Unlike the typical pink color, their tongues have a dark hue that ranges from purple to black, attributed to a high melanin content. This natural sunscreen protects their tongues while they feed on sun-exposed leaves in trees.

Interestingly, giraffes are so skilled at using their tongues that they can even clean their ears with them. This unique adaptation not only makes them visually impressive but also incredibly well-suited to their environment.

Pangolins

Pangolins are unique mammals known for their scaly skin, making them the only representatives of this category. However, their bodies aren't their only remarkable feature; their tongues are equally impressive. Unlike being attached to the bottom of the mouth, pangolin tongues are anchored to the base of their chest, allowing them to extend their tongues easily for feeding.

This amazing tongue can reach lengths of up to 40 cm, sometimes even exceeding the length of the pangolin's head and body. When not hunting for insects like ants and termites, the pangolin retracts its tongue into its chest cavity, providing extra protection.

Hippos

Hippos are among the most fascinating animals on the planet, and their evolutionary history remains a mystery. A 2010 article published in The Anatomical Record discussed a study of the tongues of young and adult hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius amphibius) using electron microscopy.

The research revealed that hippo tongues possess features similar to those of several other animal species. For instance, the tongue of an adult female measuring 60 cm and that of a young male at 45 cm exhibit characteristics found in both odd-toed ungulates and ruminants.

Hippos have a three-chambered stomach that allows them to effectively digest grass. This herbivorous diet, along with their unique evolutionary history, explains the distinctive features of their tongues, which vary based on age and individual characteristics.

Lions

The mighty lion, like other big cats, uses its tongue for grooming its fur. Its tongue acts as an effective comb, covered with tiny spines known as papillae. These sharp, hollow, and backward-curving spines help lions deliver cleaning saliva to their coats, allowing them to cool off through evaporation.

However, lions do not place importance on the taste of their prey. Their tongues contain a nonfunctional version of the Tas1r2 gene, which is responsible for creating sensors that detect sweetness. This indicates that their evolution did not require the ability to sense sweet flavors.

Frogs

Frogs are renowned for their rapid tongues, a result of their unique anatomy. According to research engineer Alexis Noel from the Georgia Tech Research Institute, over 4,000 species of frogs can catch objects with their tongues faster than the blink of a human eye. This speed is made possible by the fact that a frog's tongue is anchored at the front of its lower jaw, rather than at the back of the throat like in humans.

In addition to speed, a frog's tongue is also incredibly strong. For example, the tongue of a horned frog can pull objects that weigh 1.4 times its body weight, as shown in a 2014 study published in Scientific Reports.

The article was written using sources from Live Science and Wikipedia.