How Fast is a Chameleon's Tongue?

Speed and Acceleration

A chameleon’s tongue is one of the fastest moving body parts in the animal kingdom. It moves faster than the human eye can follow. From a standing start, the tongue can accelerate (speed up) from 0 to 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour in just one-hundredth of a second. This sudden burst of speed produces a force that is over 200 times stronger than gravity. If a car accelerated this quickly, it would disappear from view almost instantly.

The Catapult Mechanism

Muscles alone are not fast enough to launch the tongue at such high speeds. Instead, the chameleon uses a system similar to a bow and arrow or a catapult. Inside the mouth, the tongue is wrapped around a special piece of cartilage (tough, flexible tissue) called the hyoid bone.

Before striking, the chameleon squeezes its tongue muscles to store energy, stretching elastic tissues like a rubber band. When it releases the tongue, the stored energy snaps forward instantly. This allows the tongue to travel up to twice the length of the chameleon’s body to reach prey.

Aiming and Catching

Because the tongue moves so fast, the chameleon only gets one chance to strike. To aim, it uses its unique eyes, which can move independently of each other. The chameleon swivels its eyes to look in two different directions at once. When it spots an insect, both eyes focus forward to judge the exact distance.

The tip of the tongue acts like a sticky club. It is covered in thick mucus (slime) that is 400 times stickier than human saliva. When the tongue hits a cricket or fly, the tip spreads out like a suction cup to grab the target. The muscles then quickly reel the tongue back into the mouth to swallow the food.