Flamingo Tongue

Flamingo Tongue

Flamingo tongues are a common kind of sea snail found in the Caribbean, and they are a colorful spectacle for reef divers to observe. Like all other snails, Flamingo tongues are gastropods, which roughly means “stomach foot”; this is a very suitable classification as Flamingo tongues eat through their foot!

Flamingo tongues have a fleshy foot that they slide around on much like slugs on land. They feed solely on soft corals; as they slide along the surface of the coral, their foot secretes enzymes that digest the coral animals (polyps) underneath them. Nutrients from the digested coral polyps are then absorbed through the foot.

Flamingo tongues are fairly small, only about 1 inch long.

Although these creatures are quite vibrantly colored, they are actually covered by a white shell all over. The bright colors and patterns you see are actually a living part of the snail, its mantle, that it pushes outside of its shell to exchange oxygen like gills in fish. The flamingo tongue can retract its colorful mantle back under its shell if it’s threatened. When they have their mantle out, common colors for flamingo tongues can be orange, purple, or green although their color can vary greatly.