Natural History Wanderings

The LA Times answers the question what makes a frog’s tongue so sticky

Frogs and amphibians can nab a fly with remarkable speed — but the real secret of their bug-catching prowess is in the saliva.

Sticky frog saliva is a non-Newtonian fluid. That means it can behave as both a liquid and a solid.

This unusual combination of tongue and saliva allows a frog to catch insects, mice or even small birds faster than you can blink — five times faster, in fact. Once captured, the prey is yanked back toward the frog’s mouth at a force up to 12 times greater than gravity.

So sophisticated is the frog tongue that it’s capable of grabbing prey up to 1.4 times the predator’s body weight — a feat unmatched by any man-made device.

Read full story at  What makes a frog’s tongue so sticky? The secret is in the spit – LA Times