National Geographic Channel (NGC) has released exclusive, never-before-seen footage of the tube-lipped nectar bat – a 6.35-centimetre bat with an 8.9-centimertre tongue – also known as a type of long-tongued bat, found high in the cloud forests of the Ecuadorian Andes Mountains.

In the episode of Untamed Americas: Mountains, viewers will see this fascinating bat, discovered in 2005, that boasts the highest tongue-to-body ratio of any mammal in the world.  The same proportions in a human would mean a 2.75-metre tongue, visually amusing and disturbing.

To shoot the footage of the bat plunging its tongue into nectar, the Untamed Americas team cut a tiny hole into the base of a flower, installing a special slow-motion camera to slow down the action by 40 times.

Premiering June 13 at 9pm across Asia Pacific, Untamed Americas reveals the grit and glory in the wild of North America, Central America and South America. Each hour explores some of the greatest wildlife spectacles, delicate dances, unbelievable endurance and against-the-odds survival in episodes dedicated to the continent’s Mountains, Deserts, Forests and Coasts.