AN ANATOMICAL MISCELLANY
An anteater’s tongue
THE GIANT ANTEATER HAS A MONUMENTAL snout built to accommodate a 60cm-long tongue that traps its victims in a coating of treacle-like saliva. Attached directly to its breastbone, the tongue is unique among mammals in lacking structural connections in the throat. This gives it a huge freedom of movement, allowing it to project 45cm from the mouth to probe deep into the labyrinthine tunnels of its prey.