The animal world is diverse and amazing. Each animal has unique abilities and behavior - bats, for example, guided by hearing in the dark, catch insects, get food for themselves, and the bears go into "winter hibernation".
As for the tongue, this is an important part of the body that takes part in swallowing food. But on this his functions do not always end, or rather, not for everyone.
Some animals and birds use their tongue as a tool - it helps them earn their own food and ensure survival. Depending on the type of activity, this part of the body can have different shapes and sizes.
We decided to tell you in this collection about the longest languages in birds and animals in the world. This is informative, and will be interesting to everyone!
10. Nectar bat - up to 9 cm
Interesting fact: nectar bat stubbornly did not want to show herself to biologists for many centuries, although in 2005 she was accidentally "caught".
The mouse hardly reaches a length of 5 cm, but its tongue reaches as much as 9 cm! This fact is recognized as a record for living beings of our beautiful Earth.
Of course, such a long tongue serves a certain function - from a flower with a deep cup, a bat nectar draws its own food, as the name implies, nectar.
9. Woodpecker - up to 20 cm
Which bird do you think has the longest tongue? It turns outwoodpecker the longest tongue among birds, reaching 20 cm.
Its structure is interesting - with the help of a functional organ, a bird obtains insects living in the crevices of trees: caterpillars, beetles, etc. .. The beak of a bird does not exceed 5 cm, and the tongue reaches 20 cm.
Interesting fact: the tongue grows directly from the right nostril, the beak cannot hide it completely, so it passes under the scalp and wraps around the skull. When the woodpecker's tongue is pulled in - the hyoid apparatus is relaxed, so a loop forms under the skin. When the organ muscles contract, the hyoid is pulled to the base of the skull, after which the tip of the tongue shoots far ahead.
8. Australian echidna - up to 20 cm
Australian bizarre echidna - a kind of creation of nature! Outwardly, the viper can easily be confused with a hedgehog, because her body is covered with needles.
It is still unknown to the end where these amazing animals came from, and questions about their lives remain open. The tongue of echidna reaches 20 cm, has a sticky surface.
By the way, the animal prefers a solitary and nocturnal way of life, and independently obtains food and prey: ants, worms, mollusks, the echidna catches it with its long tongue - it protrudes it and then draws it in. Food due to its sticky surface is held on the tongue, and then swallowed.
7. Snake - up to 25 cm
Snakes live on all continents, their most important sense organ is language. It reaches 25 cm. Observing the snake, you can notice that it constantly sticks out its tongue and swings it in the air. With what it can be connected?
Scientists were able to find out that snakes do not see well and do not hear at all, and language is the most important organ for them, because with it, the reptile maintains contact with the outside world. They snake "tastes" what is nearby, capturing even the smallest particles of smell. To capture the smelling molecules, the tip of the tongue of the snake is bifurcated.
Receiving information about the environment, the reptile, analyzing it, can find water, the trace of the victim or partner. For example, if a cat runs, it will leave behind a trail of smell, which will hang in the air for several hours. People do not feel this smell, and snakes perfectly catch it.
Interesting fact: the tongue of a snake is an analogue of a cat's mustache.
6. Cow
Cows - Owners of long, broad and rough languages. Sometimes the tongue of an animal can reach 45 cm!
Calves do not have such a long tongue, but it all depends on the breed and age. Surprisingly, the cow can reach its back with its tongue.
The long organ is designed so that the cow can capture and pluck grassy plants well. The animal mows plants thanks to incisors that are located on the lower jaw.
Interesting fact: there’s even a saying among the people “How a cow tongue licked!"That is, with such a long language you can" get "to anything.
5. Giraffe - up to 45 cm
Giraffe - This is a tall animal, reaching 6.1 m. But strangely enough, the animal with the largest growth on our beloved planet is not easy.
In order to reach the leaves (mainly acacia), succulent tree tops, the giraffe has to stretch high, even above its height. And when he is on target, he sticks out his dexterous black tongue, reaching 45 cm. It helps the giraffe to easily and quickly pick branches from a tree, and thanks to the structure of an important organ, its tongue is protected from damage and spines.
4. Chameleon - up to 50 cm
Tongue chameleon - this is his weapon. An unusual chameleon changes its color and does it quickly enough, but another interesting feature is its language. As a rule, it corresponds to the growth of a reptile, reaches 50 cm. The longer the chameleon, the longer its important organ.
The fact that his language is almost impossible to see upsets. The reptile sticks out its tongue and shoves it back within one and a half seconds, so you can see it only with slow-motion video recording. With the help of a “shot” of the tongue, the lizard catches food for itself in an instant.
3. Anteater - up to 60 cm
Ant-eater - this name was given to the animal due to the fact that it feeds on white ants (they are called termites).
The animal has no teeth, but he does not need them. However, a long, reaching 60 cm tongue, the anteater is simply necessary - because it helps the animal to get its own food. It is covered with a sticky substance that “collects” insects. The animal launches its organ in the anthill, and then removes it back into the mouth.
For reference: the anteater has a small mouth, and the tongue resembles a worm.
2. Komodo lizard - up to 70 cm
An amazing animal with a tongue in the length of 70 cm is called chest of drawers (differently - Indonesian or giant) The lizard is the largest among reptiles, and has not only impressive dimensions, but also a long tongue.
Lizards can grow up to 3 meters, and weigh 70 kg (this is their average weight). In appearance, the lizard may seem very cute, but the Komodo lizard is a predator, in addition, the poison contained in the tongue is stocked in their arsenal.
The saliva of the monitor lizard contains the products of decay, so after the bite the victim becomes infected. If a reptile bites someone, then the victim will die, because poison enters the bloodstream.
1. Blue whale - up to 3 m
The biggest language is blue whalewhich weighs 3 tons and reaches 3 meters. Sometimes the weight of the tongue reaches 6 tons! The animal looks quite unusual due to its characteristic appearance - on the lower part of the head of the whale there are longitudinal stripes continuing on the belly and throat.
Note that 3 meters is not the length of the tongue, but the width, because the organ is a piston, the main task of which is to filter the shrimp that enter its mouth with water.
The blue whale is the largest marine animal on the planet, known to mankind, with an average weight of 150 tons.