# What Is The Largest Animal That Lacks A Tongue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319 "2022-07-02T22:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/1 "2022-07-02T22:32:45Z")
My little brother asked me this recently. I did not know the answer. For the sake of posterity, let’s assume that we are referring exclusively to organisms in the _animalia_ family that are not microscopic. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/2 "2022-07-02T22:44:00Z")
Well, one of the ones that is microscopic surely wouldn’t be the largest. Do squids have tongues? I’m going to guess it’s the giant squid. They’re usually listed as the largest invertebrate, and I think all vertebrates have tongues. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/3 "2022-07-02T22:45:42Z")
Starfish don’t have tongues. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/4 "2022-07-02T22:54:20Z")
Squids have a radula which is functionally the same as a tongue. I’m going to go with Coconut Crab (Birgus latro). The largest is 1 Meter (3 foot 3 inches) in width and weighs 4.1 KG (9 pounds.) Scatch that, it’s the Sunflower Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) which can be up to 40 inches tip to tip and weigh up to 11 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/5 "2022-07-02T23:04:28Z")
How about a [Lion’s mane jellyfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion%27s_mane_jellyfish)? Largest recorded specimen was 120ft long. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/6 "2022-07-02T23:13:14Z")
And that gets into the question of what we mean by “largest”. I generally default to mass, but I suppose that some might be more interested in length. ---
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/7 "2022-07-02T23:27:12Z")
I am primarily concerned with mass. But if someone posts about a particularly long tongueless creature, that is a perfectly acceptable answer as well… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/8 "2022-07-02T23:49:20Z")
Does it have to be a functional tongue (i.e. used for swallowing food or such)? Sharks have tongues, but apparently in many species, it’s just a relatively non-functional, non-movable plate of cartilage on the floor of the mouth - might as well just _be_ the floor of the mouth. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/9 "2022-07-03T01:46:27Z")
How about a giant clam? They have tongue-like feet, but no actual tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/10 "2022-07-03T03:03:35Z")
Crocodiles have a non-mobile tongue that makes them look like they don’t have one. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile#Characteristics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile#Characteristics) > [@](#): > > Their tongues are not free, but held in place by a membrane that limits movement; as a result, crocodiles are unable to stick out their tongues. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/11 "2022-07-03T03:24:07Z")
King Crabs can be 5 feet across and the largest confirmed one was 24 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/12 "2022-07-03T03:57:10Z")
Googling says the largest giant clams are over 500 lbs - could be a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/13 "2022-07-03T04:04:36Z")
Clams got legs!? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/14 "2022-07-03T14:53:16Z")
At over 5 feet wide and over 500 pounds, I think 3AxisCtrl’s got it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/15 "2022-07-03T15:02:19Z")
Warning: Sick humor - Roger Ebert? ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/16 "2022-07-03T15:31:38Z")
For the longest, whale tapeworms could be a contender- supposedly reported as up to 40m in length, around 130ft. ---
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2022, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/17 "2022-07-03T19:18:30Z")
Imagine a tapeworm that long in a human. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2022, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/18 "2022-07-05T07:56:50Z")
Or imagine a human in a tapeworm that long. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2022, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/19 "2022-07-05T10:22:19Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > {…} Sharks have tongues {…} Y’know the thing about a shark, he’s got… a lifeless tongue, like a doll’s tongue. When he comes at ya, doesn’t seem to be livin’… Until he gives you the worst French kiss ya ever had. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2022, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-animal-that-lacks-a-tongue/967319/20 "2022-07-05T13:05:09Z")
How about a Whale Shark afflicted with a REALLY BIG _Cymothoa exigua_? … … … … … . … … > **[Cymothoa exigua](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua)** > > Cymothoa exigua, or the tongue-eating louse, is a parasitic isopod of the family Cymothoidae. It enters fish through the gills. The female attaches to the tongue, while the male attaches to the gill arches beneath and behind the female. Females are 8–29 mm (0.3–1.1 in) long and 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) wide. Males are about 7.5–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) wide. The parasite severs the blood vessels in the fish's tongue, causing the tongue to fall off. It then attaches itsel > **[Whale shark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > > The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae, which belongs to t...