Yes, whales do possess tongues, just like most animal species.
A tongue is visible in all species of cetacea, such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
All three subspecies are either part of the toothed or baleen whale suborder based on whether they are born with teeth or baleen plates.
Depending on the whale’s suborder, the use of their tongue may vary when it comes to capturing and consuming their prey.
In addition to cetaceans, other marine mammals, such as seals and walruses, also possess tongues that they use to help consume various types of prey.
Size Matters
When it comes to the size of a whale’s tongue, the size can vary greatly depending on the species of whale.
For instance (the blue whale is the largest living animal in existence) it has a tongue that is big enough to fit an entire football team on it quickly and can weigh over 2.5 tons (5,000 lbs.).
A blue whale’s tongue can easily weigh as much as a car!
Despite the blue whale’s enormous mouth, which can hold nearly 100 tons of food and water in it when fully expanded, the aorta (throat area) is only about 9 inches in diameter, allowing the whale to consume only a tiny portion of food at a time.
Maui’s dolphin, on the other hand (one of the smallest dolphin species), measures an average of 5 ft. long and weighs around 100 lbs., making this marine mammal 3,000 times lighter than a 150-ton blue whale.
While the average tongue weight of Maui’s dolphin is unknown, it likely weighs between 0.5 % and 1.7% of the overall weight.
Baleen Whale Tongues
Although the tongue plays a vital role for all cetaceans, it is essential for the giant baleen whale.
When it comes to capturing food, baleen whales use a hunting method known as filter feeding in which they swim towards their prey with their mouth open consuming large amounts of water and small marine animals such as fish, squid, octopus, and krill.
The whale then uses its large tongue to push the water out of its mouth while keeping the prey trapped in its baleen bristles.
Their large and powerful tongue is essential to separate their prey from the water to prevent them from consuming too much water with each gulp of prey.
It also allows them to maximize their calories while minimizing their saltwater intake.
Since these marine mammals are large and have a thick layer of blubber, they must consume a certain amount of calories each day to maintain their energy and a thick layer of fat.
During migration periods, some whale species may fast for several months and consume minimal calories during their trip, so their ability to consume large amounts of prey during feeding season is essential to their survival.
During fasting, these marine mammals will live off the fat stores they’ve acquired in their blubber during feeding season.
Toothed Whale Tongues
Unlike baleen whales, toothed whales’ tongues are less frequently discussed regarding how it helps them capture their food.
Perhaps this is because toothed whales are much smaller than baleen whales and consume smaller amounts of food than their larger baleen whale relatives.
In addition, smaller, toothed whale species such as dolphins may consume a single fish at a time compared to more giant baleen whales that can swallow hundreds or thousands of fish in a single gulp, making it necessary for them to be able to push out the excess water.
In regards to the toothed whale suborder, it isn’t well known whether or not toothed whales use their tongue to push out excess water, but the presence of their teeth makes it easier for them to break down their prey into smaller manageable pieces.
Their tongues may also be used to help break apart loose meat so that it can be easily consumed.
Although toothed whales possess teeth, not all species will break apart their food, and some will swallow their prey whole.
In this case, the tongue is likely used to help guide the food and push it to the back of the throat so it can be swallowed.
Taste Buds and Flavors
When it comes to whether or not whales can taste their food, little is known about whales’ taste buds. However, cetaceans do appear to prefer certain types of food over others.
It is believed that some species may be able to taste various types of prey based on the way their food taste and dolphins have been known to show preferences regarding different kinds of fish when fed at marine parks. However, more research must be done on this subject before a conclusive answer can be given regarding taste.
Even if species cannot taste their food, the tongue plays a vital role in making it easier to break the food apart, control it, and swallow it.
One big difference between humans and cetaceans such as whales and dolphins is that while humans use their mouth, vocal cords, and tongue to produce various sounds, the cetacean species make sounds with its blowhole as they are not born with vocal cords and do not breathe through their mouth.
In addition to this, their air passage (which is connected to their blowhole) and food passage (which is connected to their mouth and throat) are entirely separate, allowing these marine mammals to consume food without taking water into their lungs and making it easier for them to breathe without lifting their entire head out of the water.
Interestingly
How other Animals Use Their Tongues
Lastly, as stated earlier, the presence of a tongue is a common characteristic of most mammals.
Having a tongue allows animals to taste the foods they consume, break apart their food so that it is easier to swallow, and, in the case of the whale species, push out excess water to prevent filling their stomach with saltwater while they consume their prey.
Other animal species, such as chameleons and frogs, use their tongue to snatch their prey out of the air, while snakes use their tongues to smell by flicking their tongue around and tasting the air molecules.
The nectar bat has a tongue that measures 1.5 – 2 times its size, which it uses to obtain nectar hidden within the plant tubes it eats from.
Penguins have spiny tongues that help them grab prey, such as fish, and keep it from escaping.
Humans use their tongues to taste the foods they consume to determine how palatable it is, and their tongue helps them break food apart and push it to the back of the throat so it can be swallowed.
As you can see, the presence of a tongue is significant and invaluable to all animals.
Without tongues, most animals would not be able to survive or would have difficulty locating and consuming the foods that they eat.
Having a tongue is essential for life and the pleasure of tasting the foods we eat and making them easier to swallow.
Even though blue whales are massive creatures, they cannot eat or swallow humans.
Although they are the largest living animal and can grow over 98 ft., the blue whale’s throat is so small (only about 9 inches) that it cannot swallow anything larger than a beach ball.
One of the only whales believed to be able to swallow a human is the sperm whale which has the most significant throat of all the whale species.
One of the only whales believed to be able to swallow a human whole is the sperm whale due to its large throat.