Talking about the Tongue – Part 3

Our tongues are amazing! We have discussed how the tongue is essential for swallowing and digestion and how fossil evidence for tongue evolution is lacking. We reviewed how the tongue plays a critical role in vocalization. Now, I’d like to consider some of the amazing tongues that God created out there in the animal kingdom. Mammals, including dogs, cats, beavers, and even bats, have a very rough-textured tongue that enables them to clean themselves. An extreme example is the okapi tongue, which is over a foot in length. This allows the animal clean out its ears and swat away insects! But it’s hard to beat the tongue of a pangolin (pictured above). It can be 28″ long, longer than its body! Their tongues attach to the sternum rather than the roof of the mouth. In dogs, the tongue is critical to regulate their body temperature (achieved by panting). Reptilian tongues, although very fleshy, typically do not protrude out of the mouth. One notable exception is the chameleon. Most reptiles have a forked tongue that split into two distinct tines at the tip. They use the tip of their tongue to transport smell molecules to a receptors in the roof of their mouth. The forked tongue design allows them to sense from which direction a smell emanates, a very useful trait in seeking prey. This adds a whole new meaning to tasting your food!

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Dave.