Daily Devotional – August 20

Biology

There is no need for a bug zapper when a chameleon is around. With stealth and patience, the chameleon moves along a branch. His feet are ideally made to grasp branches with little effort. His tail is ever ready to catch the branch should he fall. His eyes are unique, like turrets on a tank, swiveling independently to see in every direction – a full 360 degrees. Each eye is also like a telephoto lens, adjusting and calculating distances with precise accuracy.

When prey is located, both eyes focus on the bug, and Zap! The chameleon’s catapulting tongue shoots out five times faster than the speed of a jet fighter plane being catapulted from the deck of an aircraft carrier – 16 times the acceleration of gravity (16 g). The tongue itself is about twice as long as his body as it is propelled forward. This long tongue is stored on a bone – similar to how a long, sleeved sweater can be pushed up one’s arm. When the chameleon sees the bug, he takes aim, cocks, and fires his tongue forward with a catapult motion. A fraction of a second before contact, a sticky tongue pad forms into a suction cup at the tip of the tongue – complete with finger-like extensions at the tip (like an elephant’s trunk) to wrap around the bug. The bug is caught and brought in for lunch. All this happens faster than the blink of an eye! How many years did the chameleon stumble along trying to develop his feet, eyes, and specialized tongue in order to catch lunch? What we see is marvelous design that should bring us to our knees in worship of the Designer, God.

And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.

~ Psalm 64:9

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.