what color are giraffes tongues

The color of a giraffes tongue can be described as black, blue, or purple, but only the front half of the tongue has this dark coloring. The back of the tongue is more of a pink color. The dark portion of the tongue is high in melanin, which is a pigment that helps protect against sun exposure. Therefore, it is thought that the blue/purple/black color of the giraffe’s tongue helps prevent it from becoming sunburned while feeding on leaves.