Chameleon: The Tongue Torpedo
African forests contain reptiles with the fastest tongues on Earth. The chameleon launches its sticky-tipped tongue at prey with acceleration five times greater than a fighter jet. The tongue extends to twice its body length in just seven hundredths of a second. Specialized muscles store energy in collagen fibers that release like a biological spring. The tongue tip forms a suction cup that grabs insects before rapidly retracting back into the mouth.