Top 12 Animals with the Longest Tongues on Earth

The chameleon can extend its tongue up to six times the length of its body. This species is also listed in the World Records for having the fastest tongue in the animal kingdom. Most of the chameleon’s tongue movements involve elastic tissues. Its tongue length ranges from 15 to 20 cm, while the chameleon itself is typically only about 25 cm long.

With its unusual eyes offering a 360-degree field of view, vibrant multi-colored skin, awkward gait, and an impressively long tongue, the chameleon is a cold-blooded creature like other lizards. However, it stands out not just because of its appearance, but due to its tongue, which can extend with incredible speed, reaching nearly 100 km/h in just 1/100th of a second. Moreover, researchers from Brown University have discovered something even more fascinating about this species.

According to a study published in *Scientific Reports*, the chameleon’s tongue is even more extraordinary than previously understood, as it accelerates faster and generates more power per kilogram of muscle than any other reptile, bird, or mammal ever recorded. This detail had been overlooked in previous studies, mainly because the smallest types of chameleons were not included in past research.

In their research, the team observed over 20 different chameleon species and found that the smallest chameleons can shoot their tongues out like a powerful punch.

The sun bear has an exceptionally long tongue that can reach up to 25 cm, which it uses primarily to extract honey from beehives. This is why it is also known as the honey bear. Its tongue is highly adaptable, able to extend to great lengths to lick honey or larvae from deep inside tree cavities or rock crevices.

Considered the smallest of all bear species, adult sun bears typically grow between 1.2 to 1.5 meters in length and weigh anywhere from 25 to 65 kg. Their tail measures only 3 to 7 cm in length. They have a thick, glossy black coat, often with a distinctive crescent-shaped yellowish patch on their chest. The sun bear’s long tongue, which measures between 20 and 25 cm, allows it to feed on ants, termites, and honey deep inside holes. Sun bears have small, round ears that rarely move, a short snout, large, curved paws with sharp claws.

Sun bears are found predominantly in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, including countries such as Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Their habitats have become increasingly fragmented due to deforestation. According to the IUCN Red List, their population has decreased by over 30% in the past three decades.

Sun bears are both diurnal and nocturnal. Their habitats are often disturbed by human activities, prompting them to be more active at night to avoid threats. These bears are solitary creatures, only coming together in groups when seeking a mate or caring for young. They gather around food sources and share meals when feeding their cubs. Sun bears spend their days resting in hollow logs, caves, or among thick vegetation. They are agile climbers and fast movers. Despite living in areas with food abundance year-round, they do not hibernate.

Frogs are renowned for their incredibly fast tongues, but that's not all—they're also quite strong, capable of pulling objects that are 1.4 times their body weight. A researcher from the Georgia Institute of Technology explains the frog's unique anatomy: 'Unlike humans, a frog's tongue is attached at the front of the lower jaw, not at the back of the throat.'

Frogs capture prey in the blink of an eye, using their saliva to quickly envelop and stick to their catch.

Alexis Noel, a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studied the frog's prey-catching skills, as reported by Business Insider. In research published in *Royal Society Interface*, Noel revealed that frog saliva has a unique property that allows it to transition from a thick, honey-like consistency to a liquid form in mere milliseconds.

When the frog's saliva-coated tongue touches its prey, the liquid wraps around the insect and quickly turns sticky. The frog then draws the prey back into its mouth. The sticky saliva makes swallowing difficult, so the frog closes its eyes, pushing its eyeballs inward, which causes the saliva to liquefy again, making it easier for the frog to swallow its meal.

The giraffe's 53 cm long tongue is tinted with purple, blue, and black hues, due to the presence of melanin, which helps protect the animal from the sun when it extends its tongue to reach leaves.

Giraffes belong to the family Giraffidae, distinct from other deer and cattle species, and include the giraffe and its closest relative, the okapi. They can be found from Chad to South Africa.

Giraffes thrive in savannas, grasslands, and woodlands, but when food becomes scarce, they venture into denser forests. They typically prefer regions with abundant acacia trees. These animals drink large quantities of water at once and can retain moisture for long periods, enabling them to survive in dry areas for extended times.

Giraffes are swift runners, reaching speeds up to 55 km/h in short bursts, allowing them to outrun racehorses over short distances.

The giraffe's long neck plays a key role in social and mating behaviors. Observations show that male giraffes often use their necks in graceful, intertwining displays, but these soon escalate into violent fights between the males.

With one of the most impressive mustaches in the animal kingdom, these primates are also known for flicking their tongues in and out of their mouths as a form of communication. Along with their chirps, whistles, and facial expressions, they use tongue flicking as a type of body language.

The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) lives in the southwestern Amazon Basin. Despite inhabiting the hot, humid climate of South America, this primate is perhaps best known for its striking mustache. Saguinus imperator is a mammal in the Callitrichidae family, within the primate order. It was first described by Goeldi in 1907. This species is found in the southwest Amazon Basin, in eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, and the western states of Acre and Amazonas in Brazil.

Their fur is mostly gray, with yellowish patches on their chest. They have black hands and feet, and their tail is brown. The most prominent feature of these tamarins is their long white mustache, extending from both sides of the face and past the shoulders. They typically grow to 23-26 cm (9-10 inches) in length, with tails ranging from 35 to 41.5 cm (13.8-16.3 inches). Their weight ranges from 300 to 400 grams (11-14 ounces).

Saguinus imperator belongs to the Callitrichidae family, a group of New World monkeys that are roughly the size of squirrels. They are distinct from Old World monkeys in many ways, the most notable being the shape of their nose, which is broader and more flattened compared to the narrow nose of Old World species. Additionally, the nostrils of New World monkeys face outward, and some of these monkeys have prehensile tails, unlike Old World monkeys.

The long, forked tongue of the Gila Monster is believed to help it detect odors. It is used to collect chemical gradients in the air, allowing the creature to sense potential prey or detect danger.

The Gila Monster is a reptile from the superfamily of lizards, primarily found in North America, just north of the Mexico border. Its appearance is easily recognizable due to its pink, orange, or yellow blotches. Its large tail accounts for about 20% of its body size. A typical individual grows to 50-55 cm and weighs between 350-700 grams. Known as a living fossil, the Gila Monster has changed very little since fossils from the Cretaceous period were discovered, tens of millions of years ago.

In 1890, Dr. George Goodfellow's independent research reported that, although the Gila Monster is a slow-moving creature, it has developed a remarkably sharp olfactory system, enabling it to detect scents much more effectively than many other reptiles in its family.

The Gila Monster hunts mainly small insects or other animals that happen to cross its path. It bites its prey, injecting venom from grooves in its teeth, which enters the victim's body through the wound. The Gila Monster is also one of the few venomous lizards in the world. Its venom contains neurotoxins, though at a mild level. As a result, a bite from a Gila Monster can be painful but is not fatal to humans.

Chiếc lưỡi dài của loài chim này được làm từ cơ, xương và sụn, chúng "cất giữ" bằng cách quấn nó quanh hộp sọ của chúng khi không sử dụng. Larry Witmer, giáo sư giải phẫu và cổ sinh vật học tại Ohio, giải thích: “Phần gốc giống như sợi dây của lưỡi kéo dài ra khỏi miệng, uốn lượn phía sau và lên đỉnh đầu, đôi khi kéo dài về phía trước đến mức chạm tới lỗ mũi”.

Chim gõ kiến có mỏ mạnh mà chúng dùng để khoan và gõ vào cây, và chiếc lưỡi dài dính để lấy thức ăn (côn trùng và ấu trùng). Khi tán tỉnh bạn tình, chim gõ kiến thực hiện nhiều hơn 12.000 cú gõ một ngàу. Chim gõ kiến sử dụng những cú gõ thẳng như tên vào ngɑy thân cây góp phần làm giảm lực phản hồi, tránh gâу chấn động lên đầu. Chim gõ kiến có thể gõ vào bề mặt cứng đến 20 lần một giâу với lực gấp 1.200 lần trọng lực mà không chịu bất kì chấn động nào, não bộ và võng mạc không bị thương. Một phần nghìn giây trước khi thực hiện cú gõ, những khối cơ dàу đặc trong cổ chim co lại, trong khi mí mắt thì nhắm chặt làm cho một ρhần lực được giải tỏa xuống cơ ở cổ góρ phần bảo vệ hộp sọ khỏi những cú gõ mạnh mẽ.

Hộp sọ của chim gõ kiến tích tụ rất nhiều khoáng chất khiến chúng rất rắn chắc. Hình ảnh quét não cho thấy chim gõ kiến có rất ít chất lỏng bao quanh não. Điều này giúp hạn chế biên độ dao động của não. Lưỡi của chim gõ kiến nằm giữa hai mắt và quấn ra tận phía sau hộp sọ, có cấu trúc hỗn hợp của vật liệu cứng và dẻo cho phép nó hấp thụ rất nhiều tác động và rung chấn trong mỗi cú mổ của gõ kiến.[3] Kết hợp, kiểu cấu tạo giải phẫu này giúp mỏ hấp thụ sức căng cơ học. Những chiếc lưỡi dài dính của chúng, có lông cứng, giúp những con chim này tóm và lấy côn trùng từ sâu trong lỗ trên cây. Người ta đã ghi nhận rằng lưỡi của chúng được sử dụng để đâm vào sâu bọ, nhưng các nghiên cứu chi tiết hơn được công bố vào năm 2004 đã chỉ ra rằng thay vào đó, lưỡi quấn quanh con mồi trước khi được kéo ra.

Chiếc lưỡi chẻ đôi có thể giúp loài rắn tiếp xúc với nhiều diện tích bề mặt hơn. Khi rắn thò lưỡi ra là thời điểm chúng thu thập "phân tử mùi". Khi lưỡi thụt vào, những "phân tử mùi" sẽ được đưa đến cơ quan xương sống mũi trong vòm miệng. Tại đây, cơ quan này sẽ phân tích mùi và gửi tín hiệu lên não, giúp rắn phân biệt được mùi. Chúng ta biết rằng khi nhìn bằng hai mắt, não bộ phải tổng hợp thông tin từ hai luồng để có cái nhìn cụ thể hơn những gì xung quanh.

Tương tự như vậy, chiếc lưỡi chẻ đôi của loài rắn cũng làm nhiệm vụ thu thập mùi từ hai vị trí khác nhau. Nhờ đó giúp nó phát hiện được cụ thể mùi nào ở hướng nào và nhanh chóng di chuyển tới đích cần đến. Bên cạnh đó, chiếc lưỡi rắn chia đôi còn giúp nó có thể ngửi thấy mùi trong ba chiều. Hiện tượng này cũng giống như loài cú sử dụng hai tai không đối xứng để có thể phát hiện ra âm thanh ba chiều.

Cả rắn và cú thường sử dụng mạch thần kinh tương tự nhau để so sánh cường độ tín hiệu từ các bên của cơ thể và xác định hướng bằng mùi vị hoặc âm thanh. Thậm chí điều này còn giúp rắn săn tìm con mồi hoặc bạn tình tiềm năng theo những mùi quen thuộc. Sau khi phát hiện thấy mùi hương trên đường đi, rắn sẽ chạm lưỡi xuống mặt đất hoặc tạo ra vòng xoáy trong không khí để lấy các thông tin hóa học có trong đó và cung cấp thông tin hóa chất theo cơ chế như ở trên gửi tín hiệu về não phân tích góp phần định hướng hoạt động của rắn.

Gần đây, nhà động vật học người Mỹ Shiwenke đã nghiên cứu vấn đề này, ông phát hiện ra rằng lưỡi phân nhánh của rắn không chỉ là cơ quan vị giác, mà còn là một công cụ định vị đặc biệt. Nó có thể phân biệt phương hướng cũng giống như 2 tai của con người, có tác dụng phân biệt được âm thanh từ hướng nào tới.

Rắn dựa vào 2 nhánh cạnh lưỡi để đảm nhận được thông tin từ con mồi, từ đó có thể xác định được vị trí con mồi, lập tức truy đuổi. Thử nghiệm đã chứng minh rằng, nếu như cắt bỏ 2 đầu lưỡi nhỏ của rắn, nó sẽ mất đi khả năng truy tìm mùi, thậm chí còn bị lạc hướng, cứ vòng vo trên mặt đất.

The current Guinness World Record for the longest dog tongue belongs to a St. Bernard named Mochi. With a winning length of 7.3 inches (18.58 cm), Mochi, a rescue dog, lives proudly with her owners in South Dakota.

Saint Bernards are a giant breed originally from Italy and the Swiss Alps, initially bred for rescue work. They became famous through stories of mountain rescues and their massive size. A mix of the native Swiss dog breed and the Asian Mastiff, which traveled with Roman soldiers invading the Alps, the Saint Bernard developed and gained popularity during the first two centuries AD. Centuries later, they were used for specific tasks, including herding sheep and cattle, and were also employed by monks to rescue victims from avalanches.

These colossal dogs were originally used for transporting goods, guarding treasures, and herding livestock. Today, Saint Bernards are still utilized as rescue dogs in snowy mountain regions, often depicted with a barrel of brandy around their neck to help revive and warm up avalanche victims.

Saint Bernards are massive dogs. They typically weigh between 140 and 264 pounds (64–120 kg) and stand about 28 to 35 inches (70 to 90 cm) tall at the shoulder. Their coats can be either short and smooth or long and rough, with thicker fur around the neck and legs. Their fur is typically red and white, or occasionally a mahogany and white mix. Their black faces and ears add to their striking appearance, while their long, heavy tails add to their overall grandeur. Their eyes are usually brown, though they can occasionally be blue.

The pangolin has an astonishingly long tongue that can stretch up to 40 cm, coated with sticky saliva to help it capture its prey. Its tongue is anchored deep within its chest. This unique creature has no fur, only tough, scaly armor covering its body, and it lacks teeth. Pangolins primarily feed on ants and termites.

British naturalist David Attenborough has selected the Sunda pangolin, a species native to Southeast Asia, as one of the ten animals he most wants to save from extinction. What makes this creature so special? Here are some facts that help us understand more about one of the most endangered animals on Earth.

Currently, there are about eight pangolin species in existence, while several others have gone extinct over the course of the past 80 million years of evolution. Four of these species are found in Asia—China, Malaysia, India, and Palawan in the Philippines—while the remaining four species are located in Africa.

The pangolin’s tongue can extend to a length of 40 cm, with the tongue’s base situated deep in the chest cavity. Pangolins use their sticky tongues to capture insects. Since pangolins have no teeth, they rely on small stones in their stomachs to crush and digest their food.

The pangolin’s scales are primarily made of keratin, the same material found in human nails, rhino horns, and bird claws. These tough scales make up about 20% of the pangolin’s body weight and serve as a defense against predators. Unfortunately, in traditional Chinese medicine, pangolin scales are dried and roasted, believed to cure ailments such as paralysis and stimulate milk production in women. As a result, pangolin scales can fetch over $3,000 per kilogram on the black market.