Frog tongues can capture insects five times faster than you can blink, and grab mice and birds that weigh up to 1.4 times the frog itself. Scientists have finally realized how this is possible!
Eating In The Blink Of An Eye
“A new Georgia Institute of Technology study says the stickiness is caused by a unique reversible saliva in combination with a super soft tongue. A frog’s saliva is thick and sticky during prey capture, then turns thin and watery as prey is removed inside the mouth.”
Frogs use a viscoelastic tongue and non-Newtonian saliva to catch prey
“Frogs can capture insects, mice and even birds using only their tongue, with a speed and versatility unmatched in the world of synthetic materials. How can the frog tongue be so sticky? In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we perform a series of high-speed films, material tests on the tongue, and rheological tests of the frog saliva.”
Slip of the tongue: Chameleon’s sticky secret revealed
“Several mechanisms have been proposed: suction, stickiness, or a velcro-like bond between a rough surface on the chameleon’s tongue and that of its meal, which can weigh a third as much as the predator itself. On Monday, scientists in Belgium and France said the answer was sticky mucus on the tongue tip.”
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Special thanks to Emily Calandrelli for hosting and writing this episode of DNews!
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