Explore the incredible variety of tongues in the animal kingdom, and find out how different species utilize the appendage to survive.

--

An alligator snapping turtle lures its prey using a blood-engorged tongue that resembles a wriggling worm. And it’s far from the only animal doing tongue trickery. Tongues in the animal kingdom vary widely — from texture and length, to shape and dexterity. So, what's the point of having so many different kinds of tongues? Cella Wright explores how different species use the appendage to survive.

Lesson by Cella Wright, directed by Igor Ćorić, Artrake Studio.

Support Our Non-Profit Mission
----------------------------------------------
Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon
Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop
----------------------------------------------

Connect With Us
----------------------------------------------
Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter
Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook
Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter
Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram
----------------------------------------------

Keep Learning
----------------------------------------------
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-snakes-have-forked-tongues-cella-wright
Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-do-snakes-have-forked-tongues-cella-wright/digdeeper

Animator's website: https://www.artrake.com
Music: https://www.workplaywork.com
----------------------------------------------

Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch and Tejas Dc.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices