FROGS are well known to have extra long tongues that they can shoot out of their mouths to catch prey.
Is it true that their tongues are always sticky?
Verdict:
Cross
FALSE
If it were perpetually sticky, the frog would probably not be able to open its mouth. Instead, it produces mucus right before it is flicked out of the mouth to catch a passing insect.
Why does the bug not bounce off the frog’s tongue upon impact?
First, the tongue is super sticky. Second, it is very soft, which allows it to act like a shock absorber.
When the sticky tongue hits the insect at a high speed, the mucus envelopes the bug and the soft tongue absorbs energy, thus preventing separation from the bug as it wraps it in its softness.
The frog then draws the tongue back into its mouth, pushes its eyes into the roof of its mouth to help release the prey and aid in moving it down its throat.
References:
1. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0764
2. https://www.science.org/content/article/watch-frog-s-tongue-ultrasoft-shock-absorber
