A chameleon's tongue can strike its prey in just 0.07 seconds, accelerating at 41 times the force of gravity.

The incredible speed of a chameleon's tongue is powered by a biological mechanism known as elastic recoil. Instead of relying solely on muscle contraction, which is relatively slow, chameleons use specialized 'accelerator muscles' to load energy into intralingual collagen sheaths. These sheaths are nested around the hyoid bone like a telescoped spring.When the chameleon is ready to strike, the energy is released in a process called 'elastic power amplification.' Research published by Dr. Christopher Anderson at Brown University in 2016 revealed that smaller chameleon species, such as Rhampholeon spinosus, produce even higher power outputs than larger ones. Their tongues can reach accelerations of up to 2,500 meters per second squared.This acceleration is equivalent to 264g, which is significantly higher than the 41g previously estimated for larger species. The entire extension of the tongue occurs in about 20 milliseconds, making it one of the fastest movements in the animal kingdom. This adaptation is vital for survival because it allows the chameleon to capture agile prey from a distance without moving its body.The tip of the tongue is also equipped with a muscular 'suction cup' and thick mucus. This combination creates a powerful adhesive bond that can pull in prey weighing up to 30 percent of the chameleon's own body weight. The precision and speed of this system ensure that the prey has no time to trigger its own escape reflexes.