If you’ve ever tried to force your pet dog or cat to stick out their tongue for a photo, you may have noticed that some animals just can’t seem to do it. Their tongues seem almost glued down in their mouths. So what’s the deal – are there really animals that can’t stick out their tongues?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: giraffes are the only animal that cannot stick out their tongues.
Anatomy of the Giraffe Tongue
The giraffe is known for its incredibly long neck, which can measure up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) in length. But did you know the giraffe’s tongue is also unusually long? In fact, their long tongues play an important role in the giraffe’s survival in the African savanna.
The Giraffe’s Long Neck
A giraffe’s neck alone accounts for about 2 meters (6 feet) of its overall body height of around 5-6 meters (16β20 feet). This long neck allows giraffes to feed on leaves and buds high up in trees that other herbivores cannot reach.
Their incredibly long neck contains only seven vertebrae, the same number as humans, but each individual neck bone can be over 10 inches (25 cm) long.
Ossicones on the Giraffe’s Head
Both male and female giraffes have two little horn-like structures called ossicones on their head, made of cartilage covered in skin. These ossicones start out flattened and fused together at birth, but begin to separate and grow taller as the giraffe matures.
It is believed the ossicones help protect the giraffe’s head when males neck fight and may also regulate body temperature.
Thick and Tough Tongue
A giraffe’s tongue is a whopping 18-20 inches (45β50 cm) long! It is specially adapted to aid the animal in foraging for food. Their long, thick, bluish-black tongue is tough and covered in bristly hair that helps protect it from cuts while browsing on thorny vegetation.
The tongue’s length allows giraffes to reach more leaves. Giraffes use their tongues to pluck leaves and clean their nose. Their tongues are so sturdy that giraffes can pick up food as heavy as 65 pounds (30 kg) with just their tongues!
The bristly texture also aids in grabbing leaves off branches. Underneath the rough exterior, the tongue has a thick, pink underside which is mucus-covered to protect it from thorns.
Interestingly, despite this long tongue, giraffes are unable to stick it out. Their tongues are anchored by a ligament that attaches it to the bottom of their mouth to aid in plucking leaves. So next time you see a giraffe’s tongue, know it takes some effort for them to extend it outwards!
Why Giraffes Can’t Stick Out Their Tongues
Saliva Flow and Drinking
Giraffes have extremely long necks that can extend up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) to reach leaves high up in acacia trees. Their tongues are also very long, typically measuring between 18 to 20 inches (45 to 50 cm).
However, unlike most mammals, giraffes cannot stick out their tongues due to the unique way their skull and mouth are structured.
A giraffe only has a small opening at the roof of its mouth behind the teeth to pass food and saliva backward. Their tongues are anchored to the floor of their mouths by thick frenulum that prevents the tongues from protruding outward.
As a result, giraffes rely on their prehensile tongues, thick saliva, and mobile upper lips to strip leaves from branches and pull them into their mouths.
Their viscous saliva coats chewed leaves to aid swallowing the fibrous vegetation and provides enzymes to start breaking down plant cellulose before reaching the stomach. Giraffes only need to swallow every third or fourth tongue load thanks to their sticky spit.
When drinking, the gerenuk giraffe curls its tongue, using the grooves to carry water up into its mouth.
Prevention of Injury
If giraffes had protruding tongues, they risk injury while feeding from sharp acacia thorns. Having the tongue anchored inside protects it when foraging on trees and shrubs. Likewise, retracting their lengthy tongues safeguards them when engaging opponents with neck blows in fights.
Male giraffes swing their heads like medieval weapons, a move known as βneckingβ. Their tongues retract inside behind their incisors for shielding during these intense battles.
Anchored tongues likely evolved to facilitate the giraffe’s specialized feeding behavior and prevent damage. If their tongues hung outside their mouths like cows, they could get bitten during neck fights over mating rights. They also risk biting their tongues while rapidly chewing thorny mouthfuls.
So while giraffes can freely twist and curl 18 inches of tongue, they cannot fully stick out their tongues due to the necessary mouth adaptations for their extreme necks and niche feeding ecology.
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Other Animals That Have Difficulty Sticking Out Tongues
Horses
Horses, like humans, have their tongues tied to the bottom of their mouths by a band of tissue called the frenulum. This restricts their ability to stick out their tongues. However, some horses are able to stick out their tongues a little bit if the frenulum is particularly elastic or has been cut by a vet.
According to veterinary professor Dr. Christie Malazdrewich, about 20% of horses have an elastic enough frenulum that they can stick out their tongue a little. This allows them to grab treats and seems to cause no issues.
However, most horses cannot fully extend their tongues past their front teeth like dogs can. Their tongues simply don’t have the anatomical freedom for such a large range of motion. This physical limitation is just part of their natural biology.
Cows
Like horses, cattle have tongues that are anchored by a frenulum membrane to the floor of their mouth. So they have limited ability to stick out their tongues.
However, according to veterinary professor Dr. Malazdrewich, about 50% of cows have enough elasticity in their frenulum that they can stick their tongues out a little bit. Enough to grab some grass or hay, which is all they need.
So while cows’ tongue mobility is restricted compared to dogs, about half of them can still use their tongues enough to eat comfortably. The other half simply rely more on their lips and teeth to grab food and bring it into their mouth.
Dogs
Most dogs have no issue sticking out their tongues. Their frenulums generally allow their tongues to extend past their front teeth with ease. This gives them great flexibility to pant, drink, catch food, etc.
However, some dogs do have restricted tongue mobility. This can be due to a few reasons:
- Short frenulum – Some dogs are born with a shorter, tighter frenulum that restricts tongue motion.
- Injury – Trauma to the tongue can cause scarring and reduced mobility.
- Medical conditions – Oral growths or swelling might limit how far a dog can stick out its tongue.
According to veterinarian Dr. Jerry Klein, brachycephalic (short-nosed) dogs like Boxers, Bulldogs, and Pugs sometimes have tongues too large for their mouths. This can make it uncomfortable to extend their tongues for long periods.
So while most dogs have excellent tongue maneuverability, a small percentage have anatomical or medical issues that make sticking it out difficult. But in general, a dog’s tongue has impressive freedom of motion compared to many other species.
Fun Facts About Giraffe Tongues
Dark Tongue Color
One of the most interesting things about a giraffe’s tongue is its dark purplish-black coloration. This is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation to prevent sunburn while reaching for leaves high up in trees.
The melanin pigment in their tongues likely helps protect the tissue from solar radiation damage. Pretty cool, right? This unique tongue color certainly makes giraffes stand out from other animals.
Up to 18 Inches Long
Giraffes have exceptionally long tongues, measuring up to 18 inches! That’s about the length of a newborn baby’s arm. Their lengthy tongues allow giraffes to reach leaves located deep within tree canopies that other herbivores cannot access.
This gives them a competitive feeding advantage in the African savanna. Giraffes use their dexterous, prehensile tongues to selectively pluck and strip leaves from branches. Their saliva also has antiseptic properties that help neutralize toxins from acacia trees they commonly feed on.
Wow, giraffe tongues really are amazing!
Used for Grooming
In addition to feeding, giraffes rely on their tongues for grooming. Their tongues are rough like sandpaper due to the presence of small, finger-like papillae. These papillae are covered in even smaller filiform papillae that give the tongue its coarse texture.
Giraffes use this surface to lick and clean themselves, removing dead skin and ticks from their coat. The tongue’s thickness and length allows them to lick and groom hard to reach spots like their ears and belly.
Male giraffes also exhibit a behavior called “tongue painting” where they lick a female’s rump to assess readiness for mating. Their versatile tongues play an important role in grooming and reproduction.
Conclusion
As we’ve explored, the giraffe is the only animal that cannot stick out its tongue at all due to the combination of its unique anatomy and the need to protect its tongue. Other animals like horses, cows, and some dogs have tongues that don’t protrude very far out of their mouth.
But the sticky, long tongue of the giraffe is completely anchored in place to aid in essential functions like drinking water and self-grooming. Though they can’t stick out their tongues, giraffes have amazing adaptations that allow them to thrive with this limitation.
