The chameleon ( Chamaeleo chamaeleon ) is undoubtedly one of the most effective predators in nature. Very abundant in the Spanish and Mediterranean geography in general, they are very patient and persevering opportunistic hunters, experts in camouflage. They are able to stay without moving for a long time, perfectly blending in with the environment waiting for one of their favorite prey to pass by, such as ants, flies or lizards. Once the prey is within range, they unscrew their tongues like a projectile up to a distance twice their body length . With this long appendage they catch prey that sometimes weighs up to a third of the chameleon’s own weight. Zoologists were well aware of this hunting technique, but it was not known for sure on what was based the ability of this muscular organ to adhere so strongly to its prey. Some thought that its effectiveness was based on a mechanism of aspiration and retraction of the tongue thanks to its rough surface.
However, a team led by the researcher at the University of Mons (Belgium) Pascal Damman has shown that the adherent properties of chameleon’s saliva are enough to trap the animals that are part of their diet. The study, published in Nature Physics , confirms that this sticky mucus is enough for prey to stick to the chameleon’s tongue. And it is that the viscosity of the saliva secreted in the suction cup of the chameleon’s tongue far exceeds that of other species. Specifically, it is 400 times more sticky than human saliva . Thanks to the high degree of viscosity of the saliva and the extensive contact surface between the prey and the chameleon’s tongue, its predatory efficiency is very high.
