Meeting Abstract

53.7  Monday, Jan. 5 14:45  To catch a fly: The role of saliva adhesivity during prey capture in frog tongue projection NOEL, A*; WAGNER, C; MCKINLEY, G; MENDELSON, J; HU, D; Georgia Institute of Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Georgia Institute of Technology; Georgia Institute of Technology alexis.noel@gatech.edu

Frogs and other amphibians attack flying insects through high-speed tongue projection, some achieving tongue accelerations of over fifty times gravity. In this experimental study, we investigate how a frogs sticky saliva enables high-speed prey capture. At the Atlanta zoo, we use high-speed video to film the trajectory of frog tongues during projection. We have also designed and built a portable extensional rheometer which allows us to analyze biological fluid properties. Using a frog saliva sample, we can mimic separation rates present during prey capture and so infer the adhesive force between tongue and prey.