The giraffe's prehensile tongue is about 50 cm (20 in) long. It is purplish-black in colour, perhaps to protect against sunburn, and is useful for grasping foliage, as well as for grooming and cleaning the animal's nose. The upper lip of the giraffe is also prehensile and useful when foraging.
This common species, often referred to as the âchicken snake,â occurs across all of Tennessee. Description: A large snake (42.0 to 72.0 inches in length) with a variable color pattern. Dorsal color is usually black spackled with bits of white between scales and having a light throat. Some specimens may be gray with blotches of brown or darker gray on back. Scales are slightly keeled.
Gray Rat Snake. 25-84 inches. Tan or gray with large dark brown or black blotches down the back and a smaller series on each side; some scales yellow, orange or red producing a calico effect; underside white anteriorly, grading to gray or pale brown with obscure markings towards the tail. Young rat snakes are pale gray with dark brown blotches. Scales slightly keeled on the middle of the back, and in 25-27 rows. The Western and Gray rat snakes are distinguished on the basis of genetic differences rather than appearance. Use distribution to identify rat snake species.