Giraffe Tongues
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.