Unique tongue uses of animals

The green woodpecker's tongue is five times longer than its head length, to the point that it must curl up inside its mouth when it contracts. Because this thick tongue is formed by very strong muscles, it is difficult for any insect to escape despite hiding deep in the trunk .

The most bizarre tongues of the natural world

Famous in the field of tongue hunting is chameleon. Quickly like a lightning bolt, thanks to a very powerful spread, it lurches the long, speckled blade of round balls that can harden the prey like paper traps flies, mosquitoes. And when it retracts, the prey is already in the mouth.

Image of a chameleon launching a tongue to catch a grasshopper in the reserve near Andasibe - Mantadia National Park in Madagascar.(Photo: Paul Souders, Corbis)

But chameleon is not the only creature that has been given an extremely perfect tongue-catcher system. Similarly, the tongue of the frog also contains a glue-like liquid that makes the prey out of hope.

Tamanoir , a four-legged, four-legged animal with a tongue up to 60 cm long in a body only 1.5 meters long. The miracle is that this tongue - surrounded by tiny spikes tilted back and lubricated by a mucus like glue - can be launched into termites and retracted up to 150 times / minute to catch up to 30,000 termites every day.

A giant anteater with a long tongue - (Photo: Minden Pictures, Corbis)

Meanwhile the tongue of the Malaysian bear can be stretched in length to help them lick bile or pupae inside the puffiness or cliffs. Similar to the Malaysian bear, the giraffes' tongue can retract and extend 40 cm to reach the tall trees or thread through the acacia's thorns to strip the young leaves. In addition, the tongue can easily turn purple or black to cope with the harsh sun in Africa before being exposed.

The animal's tongue can also become a container full of hunting equipment. For example, the tongue of a gallbladder -eating kangaroo in Australia when it retracts will turn into a jar to eat chalk dust and flower buds. And the thorny tongue of emperor penguins can help them hold the prey in the deep sea.

Sometimes the tongue of some animals has . teeth. The tiny toothed tongue of pantodon or arapaima in Amazone has the function of catching and tearing off prey. In some other species, this organ helps them to drink water when receding. Gecko geckos with propeller legs living in the Namib Desert can release long tongues to lick the night dew still lodged in their eyes. In other gecko geckos, the tongue also helps them clean un-eye-shaped eyes covered by a dirty layer of transparent scales.

If the tongue of some animals has the function of caring and protecting the body, in some other animals this organ becomes a trap to deceive and help them hunt prey. Talk about the amazing tongue of a turtle eating the world's largest freshwater meat . Lying in one place on the bottom of the pond, this turtle attracted the attention of fish thanks to its curved tongue floating halfway up the water like a worm. Attracted by this pest, the other fishes rushed to the bait but unexpectedly fell into the trap set. So when the turtle drops its tongue, the fish also falls into their mouths.

It is impossible not to mention the cool fan effect of the tongue in dogs when it licks around the mouth. With crocodiles , the tongue has the function of making nose clamps. When the animal dives, its tongue turns into a giant knot to block water from entering the airway, making it not drowned.

In some other animals, the tongue has a recognition function. Molluscs called chiton that cling to rock holes at low tide use the tongue to move along the Earth's magnetic field, thanks to the magnetite iron oxide surrounding the tongue. Researchers at the French Brigitte Frybourg Research Institute are investigating the positioning function through their tongue. They hope to be able to apply to help blind people know the direction by installing an electronic bug on the tongue. And US military researchers have studied odor detection through the tongue of bees to use them in mine detection.