What if your tongue was twice the length of your body?
What could you do?
What would you like to do?
Can you invent something useful, magical and fun by using the flexible yet powerful chameleon’s tongue as inspiration?
Sticking out your tongue may be a bit rude, but it is a powerful weapon if you are a chameleon.
Chameleons are amazing creatures. They can change colour based on their moods; they have 360-degree vision, and they have fast and powerful tongues. They use their tongue to catch prey.
The secret to the chameleon’s success is a special elastic tissue in their tongue. If you watch the videos carefully, you can see that they fold their tongues up like an accordion.
When they are ready to catch to strike the chameleon releases its tongue muscle. The tongue springs forward and catches its prey.
There are tiny chameleons; some of them can sit on a human thumb, and they can propel their tongues just as quickly and with as much force as larger chameleons. In some cases, the smaller chameleons’ tongues are even faster and stronger!
So how long is a chameleon’s tongue?
The tongue is approximately twice the length of the chameleon’s body.
Kangaroos also use the elastic recoil to jump around, and humans use the same principle to save energy while running.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature for solutions, then applying what we learn to design and problem-solving. Instead of inventing from scratch, it means studying how plants, animals, and ecosystems have already solved a challenge — like staying cool, collecting water, or absorbing carbon — and adapting that strategy for human use.
How does biomimicry help address climate change?
Nature has been adapting to extreme conditions for billions of years, so many organisms already hold working solutions to problems we now face at a larger scale — cooling buildings without electricity (termite mounds), collecting water in drought (the Namib beetle), protecting coastlines from storms (mangrove roots), and capturing carbon (corals, forests, kelp). Biomimicry means studying those solutions and applying the same principles to human design.
How can children get involved in biomimicry?
Children don’t need special training to think like a biomimicrist — just curiosity and a habit of asking “how does nature solve this?” Simple ways to start include a backyard scavenger hunt for nature’s patterns, a “design-an-animal” challenge for a changing climate, or building a small model (like a passive-cooling structure or a water collector) inspired by something they’ve observed outdoors.
Is biomimicry only for scientists and engineers?
No — biomimicry is as much a mindset as a profession. Anyone can practice it by observing nature closely and asking design questions. Professional biomimicry practitioners apply it in architecture, materials science, and engineering, but the same core skill — careful observation followed by “what if we built it that way?” — is exactly what this post’s classroom and family activities are designed to build in children.
Åsa Jomård
In 2015, Åsa completed a course in Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With over 10 years of experience exploring nature for inspiration and as a former member of Ben, Biomimicry Education Network, she brings both academic background and creative teaching experience to her work. Her materials seamlessly integrate stories, nature observations, and design challenges, making them perfect for inquiry-led learning in early primary contexts.
AI was used as a Thinking Partner.