Ripley's: Suburban New York college student has America's longest tongue

By RYAN GORMAN

A suburban New York college student made it into the latest "Ripley's Believe it or Not" -- for having the longest tongue in America.

Philip Romano, 21, of Armonk, New York, has a 3.8-inch tongue, according to measurements taken for Ripley's. His record-setting organ was included in the latest tome of the strange titled "Reality Shock."

Romano saw the record-setting tongue in a previous "Ripley's" book and thought his was longer, he told AOL News. So he contacted the organization and set out to verify his claim.

The group asked that he measure from his lips to the tip of his tongue, take multiple pictures and make a video, he explained.

Nearly two years later, he was validated as having the longest tongue.

A comic published in February began making the rounds at SUNY-Geneseo, where Romano was a student, and he became a campus celebrity.

"It spread pretty quickly there," he recalled.

Then came the book and another aspiration, world's longest tongue.

Romano's tongue is less than a fifth of an inch shorter than the record holder, whose tongue is 3.97 inches-long.

"I would have to get it measured by a doctor for that," said Romano. "Hopefully I can have that done by next year.

"I think it can grow... it's a possibility it can change, " Romano added. "I don't know if tongue measuring is an exact science."

Romano added that he can also lick his elbow, which this reporter verified is no easy task.

The extra-long licker has earned him a free copy of the book he's featured in and gratis admission to the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, in Times Square.

Romano is currently a senior graphic design major at SUNY-Purchase.

Related links:
Plumpest pumpkin: 2,058-pound gourd sets record
Could Crabzilla, a 50-foot-long crab be real?