Giraffes are tall majestic creatures and are known for roaming the African plains. Giraffes are known for their tall necks and spots. However, there is one feature of the giraffe that not many people know. Their tongues are BLUE. But why are they blue? This is because of a couple of reasons, including the sun, holding items, and thick saliva.
Giraffe tongues tend to be a darker color, including dark blues, purples, and black. One reason is because of the sunlight in Africa. Africa is on and close to the equator. This means it gets the most amount of direct sunlight year-round. This makes it hard for giraffes to grab leaves with their tongues without getting lots of burns. However, dark colors naturally absorb sunlight, making it easier for them to grab the leaves off the trees without getting burns on their tongues and having them dry out.
Also, Giraffes have a “prehensile” or grabby tongue, as stated in “What's the Color of a Giraffe's Tongue? Here's Why It Looks That Way.” by Kori Williams. The tongues are made to be able to flex many times a day, due to them needing to grab leaves off of tall trees. Imagine trying to reach your tongue up all the time, just to eat!
In addition, they need to hold leaves in their tongues when they eat because of how tall the trees are around them. Their tongues are also used to navigate around the plains where they need to find acacia trees. Their tongues have many uses, but that does not affect their color.
Finally, giraffes have thick saliva that affects the color of their tongue a little. It is supposed to help with thorns so they don’t poke into the giraffe's tongue and hurt them. It also makes the leaves stick to their tongues a little better when they grab them off of trees.