Are Giraffes Tongues Blue

It Is Generally Assumed That The Front Part Of The Tongue Has Such Dark Coloration To Protect It During Frequent Sun Exposure While Eating And.

Being the size that they are, giraffes must eat a lot of food. As explained previously, the giraffe’s tongue is exposed to the sun for a long period of time. There's still no definitive explanation for this, but the leading theory is that the melanin provides extra uv protection, preventing their delicate tongues from getting sunburnt as they feed up.

So It Is Thought That The Blue/Purple/Black Color Of The Giraffe’s Tongue Helps Prevent It From Becoming Sunburned.

Giraffe tongues are very long and have the ability to grab on to plants. But perhaps even more curiously, the dark colour doesn’t cover the entire tongue. It is generally assumed that the front part of the tongue has such dark coloration to protect it during frequent sun exposure while eating and prevent the tongue from getting sunburned, however, no one really knows.

Why Do Giraffes Have Purple Tongues?

Giraffes are weird, with their really long necks and all. Why is the giraffe’s tongue blue? You will be surprised to know that the legs of a giraffe are taller than an adult human height.

The Colour Of The Tongue Is Best Described As Black, Blue Or Purple With A Pink Base/Back.

This is due to the density of dark ‘melanin’ colour pigments in them. They’re very long, measuring 45 to 50 cm (or about a foot and a half long) and more importantly, i thought, they’re blue. The dark portion is high in melanin, which is a pigment that helps protect against sun exposure.

What Does A Giraffe’s Tongue Look Like?

Since their tongues are about 50 centimeters long, there is a lot of margin for sunburn, just like humans. If you examine a projecting giraffe tongue attentively, you will see that only the last 7.9 in (20 cm) or so is this dark color, while the remainder is a more typical pinkish color. Tongue color can best be described as black, blue or purple with a pink base/back.