Do hummingbird tongues wrap around their brain?

Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures, capable of hovering mid-air and lapping nectar at up to 13 licks per second with their incredibly long tongues. Their tongues have fascinated scientists and bird lovers alike – they’re so long that when not in use, they wrap around the hummingbird’s head and over their brain. But is this really the case? Let’s take a closer look at the anatomy and abilities of the hummingbird tongue.

The Unique Structure of Hummingbird Tongues

A hummingbird’s tongue is a wonder of nature. It consists of two tubes, which split from the tip and run along the length of the tongue. When not in use these tubes collapse and the tongue becomes slender and threadlike. But when a hummingbird inserts its tongue into a flower, the tubes open up. The top tube has fringed edges that catch nectar, while the bottom tube transports nectar via capillary action back to the hummingbird’s throat.

This forked tongue structure along with capillary action allows hummingbirds to efficiently lap up nectar. Their lapping speed is so fast it’s hard to see the tongue motion with the naked eye. Slow motion footage reveals around 13 licks per second, which allows hummingbirds to consume more nectar than bees up to twice their size.

In addition to this unique structure, hummingbird tongues have tiny hair-like structures called lamellae on the tip. These help draw nectar into the tubes. Along the length there are also hair fringes that help collect and control the nectar flow.

Tongue Length Relative to Body Size

Given their small size, hummingbird tongues are incredibly long in proportion to their body. A hummingbird’s tongue is usually about 1.5 times the length of its body. So a 5 inch long hummingbird would have a tongue over 7 inches long!

The bee hummingbird holds the record for the longest tongue relative to body size. This tiny bird is only 2 inches long but has a tongue over 1.5 inches long. That’s equal to a 6 foot tall human having a 4 foot long tongue!

As the table shows, even small hummingbirds like the bee hummingbird have disproportionately long tongues compared to their tiny bodies. This allows them to efficiently reach nectar deep inside flowers.

Do Hummingbird Tongues Really Wrap Around Their Brains?

Given the extreme length of hummingbird tongues relative to their size, it’s no wonder the idea that their tongues wrap around their heads and brains came about. When retracted, the tongue is certainly long enough to encircle the skull and brain multiple times over. However, anatomical studies show this is not actually the case.

Retracted Tongue Position

When not lapping up nectar, hummingbirds retract their tongues back into two long grooves on either side of their neck. This allows them to store the entire length of their elongated tongue comfortably when not in use.

CT scans and dissections reveal that when stored in these grooves, the tongue sits alongside the neck under the skin. It does not extend upwards to encircle the skull or brain. Rather than wrapping, it simply extends backwards parallel to the neck.

Why Brain Wrapping Doesn’t Occur

There are a few key reasons why hummingbird tongues don’t wrap around their brains:

• The tongue grooves along the neck provide enough space to store the entire tongue length.
• There is no physiological need or benefit for the tongue to extend beyond the neck grooves.
• The openings of the tongue grooves face backwards, not upwards.
• Blood vessels, nerves, and muscles connecting the tongue to the body prevent excessive extension.
• Wrapping could potentially interfere with eating and breathing.

So in summary, while long enough to hypothetically wrap around the brain, hummingbird tongue anatomy simply does not facilitate or allow this to occur when retracted.

Mid-Air Tongue Protrusion

What about when the tongues are extended mid-air during licking? Even then, the tongues only extend straight out, not up and over the head. Hummingbirds also tend to keep their heads fairly stable while licking, not moving them around in ways that would cause the tongue to wind around the skull.

While an interesting idea, both anatomically and functionally there is no need or capacity for hummingbird tongues to wrap around their brains while feeding.

The Importance of Long Tongues for Hummingbirds

So if they don’t wrap around brains, why did hummingbirds evolve such disproportionately long tongues? There are a few key reasons:

Reaching Nectar

The main purpose of the tongues is to allow hummingbirds to feed on nectar from flowers. Many flowers they target have deep, narrow openings that only their slender, elongated tongues can reach. Shorter tongues would restrict access and feeding.

Increased Nectar Uptake

The speed and efficiency of the hummingbird lapping motion is enhanced by the length. More length means more surface area for nectar collection. This allows them to take up more nectar with each lick, essential for meeting their high metabolisms.

Rapid Licking Speed

The length also contributes to rapid licking – by minimizing distance to retract and extend the tongue out it can move more quickly and lick more flowers per second.

Competition Avoidance

The long tongues allow hummingbirds to access food sources with blossoms that make it harder for bees and other competitors to reach the nectar.

So while not wrapping around their brains, the elongated tongues are absolutely vital adaptations for hummingbird survival and ecology.

Fun Facts About Hummingbird Tongues

Hummingbird tongues are amazing structures. Here are some fun facts:

• Their tiny lamellae lapping structures can flick 13-17 times per second!
• Hummingbirds have the fastest tongue muscles of any animal compared to body size
• They have bendy wrist joints that allow them to precisely maneuver their tongues
• Their tongues flatten and widen when retracted to fit in the grooves
• Some species like the Sword-billed Hummingbird have extra long tongues to match their beaks
• Baby hummingbirds have proportionately even longer tongues than adults
• Tongues provide elastic energy to help power the hummingbird “hover”
• They are so long that they curl up inside the head when hummingbirds are preserved as specimens

From length, to speed, to flexibility, hummingbird tongues are perfectly adapted nectar gathering structures.

Conclusion

So in summary – while hummingbird tongues are remarkably long for their body size, they do not actually wrap around the bird’s skull or brain when retracted or in use. Careful anatomical studies show they simply extend backwards along specialized tongue grooves in the neck when not licking. While an interesting idea, they would neither have the need nor physical capacity to encircle the brain.

The elongated tongues are instead an amazing adaptation to allow these tiny birds to extract nectar; their speed, flexibility and reach gives them access to food sources many other pollinators can’t reach. So next time you see a hummingbird lapping away, marvel at its tongue length but rest assured it’s not looping around its head – just reaching efficiently for the nectar!