Giraffes are known for their long legs and long necks. Did you also know their tongue is incredibly long as well? While it isn’t polite to stick your tongue out at the dinner table, for giraffe’s that long tongue is actually how they eat their dinner! Reaching lengths of up to 18 inches giraffes use their tongue to help grab onto those extra tasty leaves that would otherwise be out of reach.

On top of being extra long, giraffe tongues are also prehensile, which means they can use their tongue to grasp, similarly to how we use our hands. Those tongues also have a dark color on the front half. This is dense melanin which some believe is an adaptation to protect the tongue from sunburn since giraffes spend so much time with their tongues out.

It isn’t rude for a giraffe to stick it’s tongue out.