The tongue is a muscular organ that humans use for licking, breathing, tasting, swallowing, and speaking. But this organ varies widely in color, shape, length, and function across the animal kingdom. If you've ever seen a giraffe's impressive 21-inch-long tongue, you'll know that it's not pink. The tallest living animal in the world has a dark-colored tongue, a mix of purple, blue, and black. That's because the giraffe's tongue is covered with a lot of the pigment melanin, which acts as a type of sunblock to protect the licker while it reaches for tender leaves. Giraffes have such long tongues that they can even use them to clean out their ears.

Source: Live Science