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Sticky Science
In The Chameleon’s Secret Weapon, you read about how gluey saliva on chameleons’ tongues helps them nab tasty insects. Here are three other animals with sticky, goopy, and slimy adaptations.
GRIPPY FEET
A gecko’s feet have super grip, thanks to thousands of microscopic hairs, called setae, on each toe. The hairs adhere to surfaces, allowing the gecko to walk up walls.
STICKY WEB
Like most spiders, orb weavers spin webs made of stretchy silk threads. The centers of their webs are coated with droplets of a glue-like substance that prevents insects from escaping.
SLIMY SHIELD
The eel-like hagfish has glands that produce goopy mucus that coats its body. When a predator like a shark bites down on a hagfish, mucus oozes from its body and fills the shark’s mouth, allowing the hagfish to escape.
ANALYZE IT: Which animal's adaptation do you think is most similar to a chameleon's sticky tongue? How are the two features similar, and how are they different?