A bit more about tongues

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One of my last posts was about the different tongues that animals can have. Here is Part 2. The tongue of a 60 ton blue whale weighs three tons. The right whale uses its tongue like a scoop.The fastest tongue in the west (and the north, south and east) belongs to the giant palm salamander. It moves its tongue 50 times faster than a person can blink (so how did they measure it I hear you ask – I don't know). The tongue of the chameleon is covered in thick mucous and has a club-like structure on the end which acts as a suction cup. The tongue of the largest of the species is about two feet long. When not needed, the tongue is folded like an accordion. The alligator snapper turtle lies on a river bed with the mouth open wide and its red tongue wriggling like a worm. Fish become attracted and swim into the mouth. The alpaca and llama can only extend their tongues half an inch from the mouth. Tongues may be used for grooming. Some have small bumps which act like a rasp. Others have rows of backward facing hooked spines. The forked tongue of a snake acts as a communication instrument, picking up airborne scent particles from the world around it. Flamingos suck water through the front of the bill with their tongues then force it out through the sides. Aquatic crustaceans and algae are trapped by fringed plates on the tongue. I hope you found tongues as fascinating as I did. The photo is of a blue-tongued lizard which was outside our house. They are harmless. The open mouth is all threat. But isn't the tongue an unusual shape?