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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 7, 2006 19:08:47 GMT -5
Photo in the News: Bat Has Longest Tongue of Any MammalNational Geographic News December 6, 2006—It's enough to give Gene Simmons (inset) appendage envy. Despite a '70s rock rumor, the Kiss bassist did not have his tongue surgically replaced with a cow's. But could Anoura fistulata tempt him to go batty? A. fistulata (shown lapping sugar water from a tube) has the longest tongue, relative to body length, of any mammal—and now scientists think they know why. "This bat was just discovered last year, and now we've observed a very unique relationship with a local flower," said Nathan Muchhala, a University of Miami Ph.D. student whose team's findings are to be published tomorrow in the journal Nature. Found in an Andean cloud forest in Ecuador, A. fistulata (aka the tube-lipped nectar bat) evolved mutually with an extremely long, bell-shaped flower, the team says. In fact, armed with a tongue that retracts into the bat's rib cage, A. fistulata is now the only animal that can pollinate the flower. —Ted Chamberlain
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Brian Roebuck
Site Admin
Caver
Caving - the one activity that really brings you to your knees!
Posts: 2,732
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Post by Brian Roebuck on Dec 7, 2006 20:06:34 GMT -5
Cool article. Bats are amazing animals without tongues long enough to trip over but that is one more long tongue! Wow... Edited to correct spelling of "tongue" - strangely spelled word that one!
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L Roebuck
Technical Support
Caving
^V^ Just a caver
Posts: 2,023
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Post by L Roebuck on Dec 8, 2006 10:23:04 GMT -5
] Photo in the News: Armed with a tongue that retracts into the bat's rib cage Ewweee, sounds painful, doesn't it...
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guanonoggin
Beginner
Dude Caving
U.S. Caver Dude
Posts: 115
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Post by guanonoggin on Dec 8, 2006 20:19:20 GMT -5
] Photo in the News: Armed with a tongue that retracts into the bat's rib cage Ewweee, sounds painful, doesn't it... Totally painful for sure. That is one freak-a-delic bat!
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