Byron Schlenker, a Syracuse father, has been crowned the Guinness World Record holder for having the widest tongue.

Byron Schlenker's Tongue Is 3.27 Inches Wide

Schlenker’s tongue measures an impressive 8.6 cm, or 3.27 inches, in width, earning him a place in the Guinness World Records. The previous record holder was an Australian man, Jay Sloot, whose tongue measured 3.1 inches in 2010.

Schlenker discovered his record-breaking feature by accident after he took his young daughter, Emily, to the library to pick out a non-fiction book for a school project. “I had to write a fact every day, so he like opens up the book and automatically he just lands on the page with the world’s longest legs, widest tongue,” Emily explained.

After seeing the widest tongue in the book, Schlenker couldn’t help but wonder how he measured up to the record. After his wife refused to measure his tongue for him, Schlenker went to his eldest daughter, who helped him send in an application to Guinness.

Two notaries and one doctor’s visit later, Schlenker found out that, with a 3.27-inch wide tongue, he would be named the new Guinness World Record holder.

“It’s really been a lot of fun, the whole thing has been fun,” Schlenker said of the experience.

His daughters, however, don’t seem too impressed. “I honestly think it’s weird, I mean, who wouldn’t think that?” Emily said.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.