An adult chameleon's tongue can measure two-and-a-half times the length of its body when fully extended. The tongue of an infant or subadult can often reach four times the length of their body. Nature provided them with this extra length to ensure a meal. The hollow tongue is composed of three main elements: the accelerator muscles, the retractor muscles and the sticky tip. The tip is more like a toilet plunger that hits the prey hard and creates suction around it before retracting. While most insects are captured by the chameleon with its tongue, a few slippery worms and snails may be eaten by biting them off a branch instead. When the tongue is not being used, it rests in the back of the throat, where it is sheathed over the hyoid bone, which is pushed up from the lower jaw like a spring to shoot the tongue at its intended prey.
In captivity, if a chameleon strikes the glass of its enclosure, or cuts its tongue causing damage, it may use the use of it either temporarily or permanently. It will become necessary for the keeper to provide a food dish or, in more extreme cases, even feed by hand until the tongue is back to normal. A chameleon that has an impaired tongue is a severely handicapped creature.
A chameleon's teeth are also unique in that they are attached to the jaw bone ridge. Unlike other lizards, chameleons chew their food, often holding it for a moment in their mouth before chewing.
Scia dentata refers to the large, often white or light-colored, scales that appear to be teeth around the chameleon's lips. This resembles a skeleton and can be quite intimidating to other chameleons and predators. . . |
