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Biomechanics: Squeezing power drives ballistic tongues
1Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium.
Current Biology : CB
|September 9, 2025
Summary
Chameleons and lungless salamanders evolved fast projectile tongues independently. Their ballistic tongue performance relies on a skeletal rod within a muscle, not special materials.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Biomechanics
- Vertebrate anatomy
Background:
- Convergent evolution of complex traits.
- Projectile tongue feeding in vertebrates.
- Biomechanical limitations in rapid movements.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the independent evolution of projectile tongues.
- Analyze the biomechanics of fast tongue projection.
- Identify key anatomical features enabling ballistic performance.
Main Methods:
- Comparative anatomical analysis of chameleons and lungless salamanders.
- Biomechanical modeling of tongue projection.
- High-speed video analysis of tongue strikes.
Main Results:
- Projectile tongues evolved independently in chameleons and lungless salamanders.
- A long, blunt-ended skeletal rod is common to both.
- This rod slides within a powerful muscle, facilitating ballistic performance.
- Exceptional material properties are not required for high-speed tongue projection.
Conclusions:
- Convergent evolution produced similar projectile tongue structures.
- The biomechanical design, not material science, underlies rapid tongue projection.
- This provides insights into the evolution of feeding mechanisms in vertebrates.
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