Buzz
Dogs are bold optimists. They approach everything with energy and excitement—manners aside. Hydrating is no different, and anyone who has witnessed a dog drink from its bowl on a hot summer day knows they’re more than happy to make a splash while getting their fill. But how does the water actually make its way from the bowl to their mouth?
In 2014, a group of researchers led by Sunny Jung from Virginia Tech filmed dogs using high-speed cameras as they drank from a bowl. They analyzed the footage in slow motion to uncover the mechanics behind a thirsty dog’s tongue.
As Discover magazine reported, “dogs curve their tongues backwards in a ladle-shape … When they rip their tongues out of the water, they cause a significant amount of acceleration—about five times that of gravity.”
Dogs lack cheeks, so they can’t create suction. Instead, their tongues slap the water and draw it into their mouths as a column of liquid. As the water hovers in mid-air, they bite down and swallow, repeating the action until they've had enough.
This method is similar to how cats drink. As expected, cats are more refined and precise in their drinking technique. A cat gently dips its tongue into the liquid and carefully draws a slender column of it into its mouth. The result is quiet and splash-free:
Silent and splash-free? The global coalition of thirsty dogs kindly asks: Where’s the fun in that?
