The Longest Tongues in the Animal Kingdom.

Giraffe

A giraffe’s tongue is a whopping 18 to 20 inches long to access hard-to-reach leaves. It’s also blue-black in color, which may keep the tongue from getting sunburned. Talk about a cool adaptation.

Okapi

The giraffe is the okapi’s closest relative, so naturally, the okapi shares its relative’s leaf-reaching prowess. In fact, the okapi often uses its tongue to clean its eyes and nose.

Hummingbird

A hummingbird’s long, slender bill is adapted to collect nectar from flowers. The bill protects the long, split tongue and allows each hummingbird species to feed on specific types of flowers. The tongue actually has long tubes inside that help the hummingbird get its fill of nectar.

Sun Bear

The sun bear’s especially long tongue is perfectly suited for getting at honey and insects inside trees and other tight places. Its appetite for coconuts, oil palms, and other commercial crops have led to a lot of conflict between sun bears and humans. Sadly, this conflict is a significant conservation threat to the sun bear, as the little bears are often killed or confiscated for the pet trade.

Chameleon

Chameleons don’t move around very fast, so they use their incredibly long tongue to catch the insects they eat. They are able to stick the tongue out of their mouth very quickly. The end of the tongue is a ball of muscle, and as it hits its prey, it rapidly forms a small suction cup to pull insects back into the mouth to be crushed by its powerful jaws. In some species, the tongue is longer than the body! 

Pangolin 

Termites and ants are the main menu items for the pangolin. It sniffs out an ant or termite nest, either in a tree or on the ground. Then, the pangolin uses its strong front legs and sharp front claws to rip it open. Its long, sticky tongue can then lick up the insects. The pangolin can close its ears and nostrils, and its thick eyelids protect the eyes from the angry ants.