How Long is a Frogs Tongue?

A frog’s tongue is a unique and fascinating part of its anatomy. From movies to cartoons and all sorts of media, most of us have an image in our mind of a frog sitting on a log, whipping their tongue out to catch a passing fly. There are over 5,000 species of frogs in the world, and almost all of them have tongues that can reach far past their mouth when they’re hunting for food. Just how long is a frog’s tongue? This article will answer this commonly asked question.

Key Takeaways:

• The tongue of a frog is usually one-third the length of its body.
• They have a viscoelastic tongue and non-Newtonian saliva that help them catch their prey.
• Some of the frogs with the longest tongues are the Goliath frog, African bullfrog, and American bullfrog.
• Frogs’ tongues are capable of catching an insect in 0.07 seconds.

How long is a frogs tongue?

The species and size of a frog determine the average length of its tongue. In general, frog tongue length is about one-third the length of their body. However, some frogs have tongues that are much longer or shorter than this. 

How does a frog’s tongue work?

Frogs can extend their long tongue out from their mouth, into the air, grab an insect, and retract it back into their mouth. You and I can’t do that! So what are the mechanics that make this possible?

To catch their prey, they use a viscoelastic tongue and non-Newtonian saliva. A substance’s ability to be both viscous (thick, sticky, and fluid-like) and elastic (stretchy and able to rebound) is referred to as viscoelasticity. The saliva coating the frog’s tongue “non-Newtonian”, which means that when stressed, it does not behave like water or other fluids. When stretched or compressed, it thickens, preventing insects from escaping after being grabbed.

Their tongue can shoot out in just milliseconds, often faster than the insect can react. This rapid projection is powered by specialized muscles that act like a catapult, extending the tongue far beyond the frog’s mouth. Once the tongue makes contact, its surface secretes a mucus that acts like glue, ensuring the insect adheres securely. This mucus has the perfect balance of stickiness and flexibility, allowing the frog to maintain a firm grip on the prey during retraction.

A frog’s exceptional vision plays a crucial role in this process. They are able to detect and track fast-moving insects with great accuracy, allowing them to time their tongue strike perfectly. Once the insect is captured, the tongue snaps back into the frog’s mouth with the prey securely attached.

Frog tongue appearance

The tongue of a frog is a soft, flexible, and muscular organ that is specially adapted for catching prey. Unlike human tongues, a frog’s tongue is typically broad and flat with a sticky surface, enabling it to effectively grab insects and other small creatures.

The tongue is attached to the front of the frog’s mouth rather than the back, which allows it to flip outward rapidly and extend far beyond the frog’s mouth. It has a slightly rough surface covered with a specialized mucus that is incredibly sticky, helping to hold onto prey securely.

Frog tongues are usually pale pink or flesh-colored, though the exact shade can vary depending on the species.

Why is a frog’s tongue so long?

The evolution of frog tongues has been linked to the insect species they eat. Frogs have long tongues because their prey is typically insects that can fly.  As a result, frogs needed to create a method of catching insects that didn’t require them to move their bodies too much since they’re only capable of jumping. An animal that can fly or even run may be able to chase down and insect and win, but most insects are much too fast to be caught by a hopping frog.

A long tongue would allow them to grab insects without having to move or attempt to chase down their meal. The longer a frog’s tongue, the more likely it’s that it will catch its prey.

How fast are frog tongues?

Frogs are natural insect predators, with tongues that catch prey at incredible speeds. They use two muscles to do so: the retractor and the extender. Their tongues can extend and catch an insect in about 0.07 seconds, which is faster than the blink of an eye.

Their tongues’ retractor muscles can also pull back to their mouth at 12 times the acceleration of gravity, which is greater than the acceleration of gravity experienced by astronauts during a rocket launch!

Three frogs with long tongues

1. Goliath frog

Scientific Name: Conraua goliath

The Goliath frog, recognized as the biggest species of frog and boasting one of the longest frog tongues, is native to West Africa and is occasionally kept as a pet. They can be found in Cameroon, coastal, and equatorial Guinea. This species can grow up to 12 inches long and has a tongue about 3.5 inches long, which they use to catch prey.

They consume a variety of animals, including insects, spiders, small mammals, and even other amphibians like salamanders, frogs, and newts. Goliath frogs live in tropical rainforests near swamps, marshes, and slow-flowing streams.

Goliath frogs lay their eggs in shallow, oxygen-rich streams where the tadpoles hatch. These tadpoles primarily feed on the aquatic plant Dicraeia warmingii, a type of waterweed, which makes up the majority of their diet until they reach adulthood.

2. African bullfrog

Scientific Name: Pyxicephalus adspersus

The African bullfrog is a large frog species that can grow to be 9 inches long and weigh up to 2 pounds. Their skin is olive in color, with yellow to orange throats. Males of this species are also larger than females.

At adult size, their tongues are about 3 inches long. The African Bullfrog can live up to 16 years and eats anything that fits in its mouth, including small birds. Their long tongues are also used to catch prey, such as crickets, spiders, worms, and caterpillars.

3. American bullfrog

Scientific Name: Lithobates catesbeianus

American bullfrogs are native to most of North America and are frequently seen in marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams. These species can grow to be up to 8 inches long, making them the continent’s largest true frogs.

This frog has a large jaw that can open wide enough to swallow prey nearly half the length of its own body and a very long tongue that’s about 2 inches long. They’re also known to devour snakes, frogs, salamanders, crustaceans, and other small animals that come into contact with them.