split image of dante's tongue and dante pointing to his tongue

Dante Barnes of Battle Creek, Michigan, USA, has set a world record for the largest tongue circumference (male).  

Dante’s tongue made its way into the record books on 24 December 2021 with an astounding circumference of 12.19 cm (4.80 in).  

That’s equal to the diameter of a ping pong ball! 

When expanded, Dante’s tongue reaches roughly 42 mm (1.65 in) in height and 40 mm (1.57 in) in width.  

The average human tongue has a significantly smaller circumference, making Dante’s quite a mouthful. 

Dante first realized his unique characteristic after he watched a video of someone else showing off their tongue circumference, and he decided to attempt to measure his own.  

His first video took off lickety-split, and Dante’s tongue soon became an internet sensation.  

“Social media has reacted crazy to my tongue. I’ve posted a few videos and each one has gotten millions upon millions of views. One is up to 63 million and multiple are over 20 million.” 

close-up-of-dante-measuring-his-tongue

Dante is not quite sure why he was gifted with such a girthy tongue, but many people have their own theories. 

“I have not had an actual medical person tell me what it is that I can do or what it’s called but I have had people make videos about my tongue and they say it’s called macroglossia.” 

The tongue’s versatility makes it one of the strongest muscles in the human body, allowing us to speak and eat.  

In Dante’s case, his tongue often serves an even bigger purpose.  

dante-comparing-the-size-of-his-tongue-to-a-ping-pong-ball

“I just kind of have fun with it. I have fun with people, entertain people, and I can just shrink it back down to a normal tongue whenever I want to do normal things.”  

While Dante’s tongue is anatomically extraordinary, he can maneuver it easily. 

“It just feels like my tongue. I’m able to flex it like any other muscle, like moving your fingers or lifting a weight,” he said. 

However, there are times when Dante’s tongue gets tired of being the center of attention and needs a break. 

“I can get tired and I’m not going to be able to do it or do it as well,” said Dante.   

“It only hurts after a certain amount of time, like any other muscle would just lifting weights.”  

dante-proudly-pointing-at-his-tongue

Although Dante is incredibly proud of his record-breaking achievement, not everyone is as impressed by his unusually large muscle.  

“My girlfriend hates when I do it. She thinks it’s disgusting,” he said.  

“My parents’ reaction was very shocked, and they told me not to do it again.” 

Dante, however, feels that his tongue is an attribute to be incredibly proud of.  

“I definitely see my tongue as a gift. I never thought I would have a Guinness World Records title at all, let alone for my tongue.” 

dante-sticking-his-tongue-out-and-holding-his-gwr-certificate

Guinness World Records has seen its fair share of tongue-related records.  

Nick Stoeberl from Salinas, California, USA currently holds the record for the world’s longest tongue (male), measuring in at 10.1 cm (3.97). 

The world’s longest tongue (female) belongs to Chanel Tapper from Los Angeles, California, USA, and measures 9.75 cm (3.8 in).