This month we conclude our mini-series on the tongue, this amazingly versatile organ. I’ve saved two very special animals to discuss for the end. The first is the amazing tongue of the woodpecker. In 2011, Chinese scientist conducted an intense study of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. They analyzed slow-motion 3-D videos of the pecking. They used sensors to measure the bird’s pecking force and examined the structures in its skull and beak with CT scanners and scanning electron microscopes. What they learned is remarkable. Having its tongue wrap around the back of its brain doesn’t just give a woodpecker somewhere to store this long appendage; it also helps protect the bird’s brain from injury during high-speed pecking! The long, sticky tongue also has barbs which help the woodpecker extract insects from deep within trees. Some people are known for being fast with their tongue. But on that score, it is hard to beat a frog! Frogs can launch their tongues at speeds exceeding 4 meters per second. This rapid attack allows them to capture prey in under 0.07 seconds, an important trait for snagging fast-moving food like flies. Their soft, sticky tongue actually wraps around the target–to avoid knocking the insect away. A frog can capture prey that is twice its own body size (even a small bird). As the frog retracts its tongue, the saliva solidifies to prevent escape. Then the frog swallows. It closes its eyes, which pushes the eyeballs downward into the roof of the mouth, assisting the tongue in squeezing the food down its throat. All of this action happens 5 times faster than you can blink! Truly the tongue is an amazing divine design.
Talking about the Tongue – Part 4
