Animals come in all different shapes and sizes and have evolved in diverse and unique ways. To adapt to the food in their environment, animals have developed unique tongue shapes and lengths. Because of this, some animals have extremely long tongues, especially relative to their body size. Read here to learn about some of the animals with extremely long tongues!
©belizar/Shutterstock.com
1. Giant Anteater
Giant anteaters are easily the most famous for their long tongues! They have evolved over centuries to do what they’re named after: eating ants. Anteaters are native to Central and South America. They inhabit multiple types of environments, such as forests, grasslands, and savannas. Their tongues grow to roughly two feet long, helping them lap up ants and termites while eating. They have one of the longest tongues out of all land mammals.
©Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock.com
2. Giraffe
Giraffes are a close second, with tongues that grow to around 18–20 inches. Native to Africa, giraffes’ tongues have evolved to grasp the leaves of tall trees—food sources that not all animals can reach. They inhabit savannas, grasslands, and woodlands. Due to the intense heat near the Sahara Desert, giraffe tongues have evolved a bluish-black color to avoid sunburn.
A rare pangolin reaching for a branch.
©DarrenBradleyPhotography/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
3. Pangolin
Pangolins and anteaters have similar diets, but are very different animals! A pangolin’s tongue grows to around 16 inches in length. They use their tongues to probe into termite mounds and logs, helping them hunt their prey. Pangolins are native to both Africa and Asia, specifically in tropical and subtropical regions. Their tongues are different from those of other animals, as they are anchored near the pelvis rather than the throat.
©Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock.com
4. Sun Bear
Sun bears are native to tropical forests in Southeast Asia, such as India, Myanmar, and Thailand. Their tongues grow to roughly 10 inches, but can be longer depending on the size of the individual sun bear. They have evolved to this size to help them lick honey and insects from tree cavities.
Adult blue whale from the eastern Pacific Ocean.
©NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons – Original / License
5. Blue Whale
Blue whales have the longest tongue of any animal on Earth, growing up to 18 feet long. They can be found in all the world’s oceans except the Arctic and migrate with the seasons. Their tongues evolved to this size to help them consume up to four tons of krill each day. A single blue whale’s tongue can weigh as much as an elephant!
©BBC Earth / YouTube – Original
6. Hippopotamus
A hippo’s tongue can grow to around 16–20 inches, relative to their overall size. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, hippos are found in rivers, lakes, swamps, and estuaries throughout East and West Africa. Hippos use their tongues less for eating than the other animals on this list; instead, their tongues are more useful for social gestures and grooming. They twirl their tongues with their mouths open as a sign of dominance.
7. Tube-Lipped Nectar Bat
Tube-lipped nectar bats have a body length of about 2.2 inches and a tongue length of 3.3 inches. While that seems incredibly small for this list, their tongues are about 1.5 times their entire body length! This is the highest tongue-to-body ratio of any mammal. With such a long tongue, it retracts into the bat’s rib cage rather than its mouth.
8. Chameleons
Pygmy and veiled chameleons have incredibly long tongues for their body size. They can grow up to 12 inches, roughly twice their body length. They use their tongues to hunt insects, projecting them like a rocket. The ballistic projection can accelerate at 50 times the force of gravity—so fast it’s hard to see with the naked eye.
