"Who would have thought it would be so frilly!” See moment a cheeky baby whale sticks its tongue out

A fascinating video circulating on social media has had everyone asking the same question – why does a whale’s tongue look like that? 

"Ever wondered what a baby whale’s tongue looked like? Who would have thought it would be so frilly,” says wildlife photographer Scott Portelli, who shared the video from a 2018 expedition on Instagram.

"They use their tongue to slurp the rich fat milk from their mother and they need 60-80 litres a day,” says Portelli who counts the incredible encounter as one of his “top 10 moments”.

• How did whales get so big?
• How do whales breastfeed underwater?

Image and video credit: Scott Portelli

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