Pug (Detailed Introduction)

       How do dogs drink water? Many people might laugh at this question, thinking it as boring as asking why 1+1=2, but do we really know how dogs actually bring water to their mouths? In fact, dogs drinking water isn’t as simple as it seems on the surface, and their tongues play a vital role in the process.

       Scientists at Harvard University used high-speed cameras to reveal the mystery of how dogs drink. When the high-speed camera filmed animals drinking up close, researchers observed that dogs’ tongues would curl backward like a reversed long-handled spoon, trapping water inside. However, when viewed in close detail, this spoon function is just an illusion; most of the water doesn’t actually enter the dog’s mouth but slips back into the bowl.

       Researchers found that dogs’ tongues are not shaped like long-handled spoons but act like sticky whips, adhering water to the tongue and curling it upward into the mouth.

       Because the dog’s tongue curls backward, it greatly increases the contact area with the water. Then, when the tongue rapidly retracts, it pulls up a column of water connected to the dog’s tongue from the water surface. Closing the mouth after that allows the dog to drink the water. All this happens in a very short time, so most people do not easily notice it.

       So dogs don’t drink water by curling their tongues or sucking as many believe. Instead, their tongues are full of a sticky quality that can adhere water and deliver it into the mouth. This shows that what we usually take for granted is not necessarily correct, and taking care of dogs can’t rely solely on our subjective judgments.