Giraffes like to reach the very top leaves of the trees because they taste the best they have black tounges to prevent sunburn that's why coloured people are used to the sun without sun screan Carla. I've noticed most tounge colors are pinkish red but I'm wondering why is a giraffes tounge black, Is it because is eats that thorny tree? The giraffe's prehensile tongue is about 45 cm (18 in) long. Fortunately, a giraffe’s tongue has thickened papillae, which helps to protect it from these vicious thorns. Some believe that giraffes have blue tongues to scare away predators too, but that answer doesn’t make much sense to me. The colour of the tongue is best described as black, blue or purple with a pink base/back. The melanin act as a sort of natural. The front of a giraffe's tongue is dark in colour (purple, blue or black) but the back and base of it is pink. Because of this the tongue appears to be black The animal eats a lot of thorny/prickly plants and would bleed profusively so God/nature takes care of its own. For the purpose of getting the correct answer, we will just stick with letter C or grey. The color of the tongue has sometimes been described as being either black, blue or purple. why is a giraffes tongue black? Last update: Sep 17, 2020 1 answer. Why are Giraffes’ Tongues Black? The end of their tongue tends to be black and may be more pink or purple near the top since that portion is not as exposed to the sun. And if so why isn't a koalas tounge black? 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. Depending on which hemisphere you live in, today is the longest day or night, which is an apt day to celebrate the world’s tallest land animal. Giraffes are the tallest land animals in the world, with long necks of up to 1.8 meters, and have appropriately size tongues to match. Being an avid watcher of the Discovery Channel, I can tell you that a lion about to pounce on an unknowing giraffe doesn’t really get a good look at its tongue before it makes the kill. The color of the tongue is best described as black, blue, or purple with a pink base/back. 0 0. A giraffe’s tongue is a wonderful piece of mother nature’s engineering, and a fascinating thing for many reasons. Fortunately, a giraffe’s tongue has thickened papillae, which helps to protect it from the thorns of the acacia tree. Why Do Giraffes Have Purple Tongues? Thick saliva may also help to protect the tongue . it is worthy to note that a giraffe’s tongue appears to be grey, black or blue on the tip and pink near its throat and on the underside. June 21, 2020 …and other oddities about Africa’s giants explained on World Giraffe Day. Source(s): giraffes tongue black: https://tr.im/1k6y9. Although not scientifically proven yet, many experts believe that this darker pigment is nature’s way of protecting giraffe tongues against ultraviolet rays. The average length of a giraffe's tongue is 20 inches. Actually the giraffe tongue is blue because it has very few blood vessels. Why do giraffes have black tongues? And they can grab things with it. Additionally, thick saliva is also believed to help protect giraffe’s tongue and mouth against the defensive mechanisms of their favourite food. It is purplish-black in colour, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and is useful for grasping foliage, as well as for grooming and cleaning the animal's nose Step 3 : Other interesting facts related to the question "Why do giraffes have black or purplish tongues?" Is nature’s way of protecting giraffe tongues against ultraviolet rays, thick saliva is believed. 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