Gotcha! Cheeky Chameleon Catches Prey

A LITTLE chameleon appears very pleased with itself, as it manages to catch its lunch in a split second

Scroll down for the full story

Using its stereoscopic eyes, the chameleon spots the insect

Using specialised muscles, it projects its tongue out of its mouth

Known for their unique characteristics, a chameleon can reach its prey within 0.07 seconds by projecting their tongue more than twice their body length.

The chameleon's tongue is coated in sticky saliva

In a split second, the lengthy tongue reaches the chameleon's prey

The sticky tip of the tongue then attaches to the doomed insect, and recoils back into the chameleon’s hungry mouth.

The large tip of the tongue wraps around the insect

The chameleon looks very satisfied and full

This smug chameleon was caught on camera by wildlife photographer Yulia Sundukova in November 2016.

She said: "I spent about 10 days in Madagascar, Andasibe area, and was trying to catch chameleons hiding, eating, fighting and resting.”

The chameleon's tongue is made up of strong membranes and muscles

Madagascar is home to approximately half of the world’s 202 species of chameleon, making it the ideal location to spot the peculiar lizard, providing they’re not camouflaged.

The chameleon then swiftly munches its lunch

Not only do chameleons have specialised tongues, but their independently mobile eyes give them stereoscopic vision; the ability to perceive depth and perfect coordination to strike at prey.

Julia said: "I like how they smile and then look very cruel"

The Russian photographer said: "I like how they look while catching a food, how they smile and than look very cruel, licking their lips, and than smile again, like nothing happened just a second ago!”