It seems that the smallest chameleon has the fastest tongue and packs the strongest punch, one that exceeds any reptile, mammal, and bird in existence. Chameleons have been in the center focus of researchers due to their incredible self-camouflaging ways. Their changing colors pose as a subject of fascination.
However, their impressive feats do not stop there. Christopher Anderson from Brown University dug more deeply into the matter, and gathered 20 different species of chameleon for study. They were all placed under the technology that spurs on research on quick animals: slow motion cameras. The high tech gadgets could record 3000 frames per second, able to capture the fast attack in exceptional detail.
Adhesive, form-fitting tongue
How the tongue of a chameleon works is an interesting process in itself that has been mimicked by technology. It shoots out accurately toward its target, using suction to pull back their prey. Insects, for example, are caught in the adhesive and firm hold as the tongue wraps around their form.
Anderson found that the smallest of their species, Rhampholeon spinosus, was the fastest and strongest of them all. Even though its barely the size of a thumb, the tiny chameleon “produced a peak acceleration 264 times greater than the acceleration due to gravity”. It allowed its impressive tongue to reach speeds of 11 miles per hour in just a fraction of a second.
The top recorded speed was of 2.59 meters per second per second, with a power of 14,040 watts per kilogram. And it was all in the name of eating a delicious tiny cricket. It’s essentially the most powerful acceleration produced per muscle mass of any reptile, mammal, or bird.
Furthermore, relative to their body size, the small species could also stretch out their tongue for longer distances. In the case of the Rhampholeon spinosus, this was 2.5 times its entire body length. And it needed only 20 milliseconds to stretch out that long tongue, grab its meal, and snack on it. According to Anderson, only a salamander can outperform this species of chameleon.
This exceptional feat of the tiny creatures has been the inspiration for robotics across the years. Teams of engineers, such as robotic team Festo, are creating devices that can replicate a chameleons tongue technique. They created the FlexShapeGripper that efficiently mimics the process through a silicone cap that molds to its target and elastic.
Their design can pick up more objects at a time, no matter their shape. It’s potentially a very useful trait of the future for several industries or even for those with disabilities.
Image source: nationalgeographic.com