Could a species evolve a pointed tongue with two backwards-pointing barbs, like an arrow? How would it develop, considering that tongues develop from only 2 main pieces?
An example of the tongue design
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asked Aug 6, 2021 at 20:56
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$\begingroup$ Only two barbs, piffle. Do you know how the tongue of a penguin looks like? $\endgroup$– AlexPAug 6, 2021 at 21:04
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$\begingroup$ @AlexP In penguins and other barb-tongued animals, the barbs are small, and do not make the tongue appear arrow-shaped $\endgroup$– Ichthys KingAug 6, 2021 at 21:06
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$\begingroup$ I think you could slay this dragon with a rubber chicken, a chain, and some patience. $\endgroup$– Mike SerfasAug 7, 2021 at 0:50
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2 Answers
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It's a spear for catching fish
The animal can shoot out its long tongue rapidly, like a frog does, but in this case its prey is fish. The animal doesn't just use its jaws to catch the fish because its snout is too big and would disturb the water, alerting the fish prematurely. It's better to use a small, fast spear that cuts cleanly through the water, with barbs to keep the fish from getting away, the same way a human spearfisher would.
Why does the animal have a snout unsuited for catching fish, then? Because it doesn't just catch fish. It fills the same ecological niche that a brown bear does, eating a variety of prey of different sizes. For larger prey, such as moose, the animal will use its teeth and claws.
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To speak the language
Most dragons living near humans were hunted down and killed. Dragons could only survive when they used their intelligence, to speak to the humans, serving as an astrologist and predict things, or getting involved in their politics or wars.. Speaking is not easy for dragons. The Red Dragons (living in Wales) had to adjust the shape of their tongues, to be able to speak the Welsh language. Dragons are very handy with mutations, so in a few hundred years, they could speak difficult sentences, like "Fi yw'r ddraig Goch wych" (I am the great Red Dragon)
