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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Are Morphological Specializations Of The Hyolingual System In Chameleons And Salamanders Tuned To Demands On Performance?, Anthony Herrel, Stephen M. Deban, Vicky Schaerlaeken, Jean-Pierre Timmermans, D. Adriaens
Are Morphological Specializations Of The Hyolingual System In Chameleons And Salamanders Tuned To Demands On Performance?, Anthony Herrel, Stephen M. Deban, Vicky Schaerlaeken, Jean-Pierre Timmermans, D. Adriaens
Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications
Extremely specialized and long tongues used for prey capture have evolved independently in plethodontid salamanders and chameleons. In both systems, the demands on tongue projection are probably similar: to maximize projection velocity and distance. Consequently, many of the design features of the projection system in these two groups have converged to an astonishing degree. Both involve the use of power amplification systems based on helically wound muscle fibers that load internal connective tissue sheets as illustrated in previous studies. Demands imposed on tongue retraction, however, are different to some degree. Although in both groups there is a clear demand for …