OKAPI They also clean the ears with their tongue Photo: Olaf Wagner
By Johannes Malinowski
A pretty wet affair!
Some are particularly long, others extremely fast. Everyone has one, we all need them and other living beings can’t live without them either: animals have amazing tricks up their sleeves with their tongues. But which animals in Berlin’s zoo and animal park have the most extraordinary ones?
► Chameleon – the speed hunters: The tongue is up to 27 centimeters, twice as long as the animal. It captures its prey with a sticky tongue that can snap at speeds of up to 20 km/h.
CHAMELEON tongue snaps at 20 km/h Photo: Olaf Wagner
► Giraffe – all-rounder: The blue tongue grows up to half a meter long. Giraffes not only use this to grab branches, but can even clean their eyes. The blue color protects against intense sunlight while eating.
GIRAFFE Blue tongue protects against intense sunlight while eating Photo: Olaf Wagner
► Okapi – stay clean! The okapi tongue is used not only to clean the eyes, but also the ears.
► Anteater – true to the name: The tongue is up to 60 centimeters long and flicks out up to 160 times per minute. This is how he catches ants and termites.
BAT Collects nectar with its tongue like a mop Photo: Olaf Wagner
► Bat – long and pure: The tongue is about one and a half times as long as the body. The bat can collect nectar with its tongue like a mop.
► Snakes – sleuths: Snakes smell with their forked tongues. They use their two olfactory buds to recognize the direction and origin of smells. This way they don’t have to turn their head.
ANTEATRE 60 cm long tongue Photo: Olaf Wagner
► Snails – the practitioners: Snail tongues are equipped with thousands of tiny teeth. Similar to a kitchen grater, they scrape off their food.