News Animals

What gives frog tongues the gift of grab

Quick-switch saliva, squishy tissue combine to catch prey

frog

FLY TRAP  A frog’s tongue strike demands subtle interplay between saliva and smooshable tissue.

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By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

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Frogs’ remarkable power to tongue-grab prey — some as big as mice or as oddly shaped as tarantulas — stems from a combo of peculiar saliva and a supersquishy tongue.