How to Avoid a Sunburned Tongue

Just back from a donor tour of the giraffe barn at the NC Zoo.

Keeper Becca Wentz reminded me that the giraffe's long tongue is only dark gray for the several inches that are usually outside the mouth as the browsing animal uses that portion to grab and strip leaves from acacia trees. (The pink, sunburnable part of the tongue is safely out of the sun, deep inside the giraffe's mouth.)

The NC Zoo youngsters were making good use of those tongues, as they pulled leaves from short branches prepared for our donors by Becca.