If a cat has ever licked you, you know that their tongue feels very rough and gritty, like sandpaper.
While cats generally use their tongues to eat, drink water, and groom themselves, once in a while they lick their humans (usually if the humans have something yummy on their hands).
Cats, unlike humans and dogs, have scratchy tongues. They aren't smooth and soft like other mammals, but instead feel coarse.
So why do cats' tongues feel so rough? They're actually covered in tiny little spines, which turn their tongues into tiny little hairbrushes.
That might sound crazy, but think about it — cats use their tongues for grooming, so it makes sense that they would act like little brushes.
The hooks can grasp onto loose hairs to pull them out, as well as clean the hairs and keep them looking neat.
The pictures below offer a closeup look at a cat's tongue, and it's absolutely fascinating.
[H/T: Tree Hugger]
Anyone who has ever been licked by a cat knows that their tongues do not feel like other animals' tongues.
Instead of being soft and moist, cats' tongues are gritty and rough.
Since most of us don't have the opportunity to get up close and personal with a cat's tongue (without them biting us), PBS Digital Studios released a video illustrating what exactly cats' tongues look like up close.
You may think that cats' tongues have little bumps on them — that's what it looks like from a normal viewpoint — but those are actually hooks!
The hooks, which look a little bit like Velcro, help them groom themselves more productively.
The hooks are actually made out of keratin, which is the same material their claws are made from.
Keratin is also the material of human fingernails.
That's why cats' tongues are so rough — they have rows of tiny little fingernail-material hooks along them.
The hooks on cats' tongues make grooming much easier — the shape of the hooks allow the fur they pull out to just roll right off.
Since cats spend so much of their time cleaning and grooming themselves, it makes sense that their bodies would be set up for efficient grooming.
Did you have any idea that there were tiny hooks on your cat's tongue? I definitely didn't!
If you love learning about cats, please SHARE this article with your cat-loving friends and family!
