Much of the attraction we have to the chameleon is its' unique physical capabilities it has developed in its' adaptation to the world in which it lives. This includes the unique feature of how it captures its' prey using its' tongue.
The chameleon's tongue doesn't just pop out from the reptile's mouth but is ejected with a strong force as though spring-loaded. The U-shaped hyoid bone acts as an integral part to facilitate the action as a lever in assisting to eject the tongue. Because the action is less powerful when the prey is closer, chameleons will oftentimes back up before releasing the tongue to generate the intense force needed to snatch a meal. The total time necessary for the tongue to be ejected is under one-sixteenth of a second.
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