Shooting Mechanisms in Nature: A Systematic Review
Fig 26
Inertial elongation catapult mechanism in the order Anura (species Bufo marinus).
(A) The jaw and tongue of frogs and toads using the inertial elongation catapult in rest position. (B) Contraction of the protractor muscle moves the tongue up- and forward. (C–D) Rapid jaw depression accelerates and elongates the tongue using the tongue’s own inertia. Drawings based on schematic drawings in [16]. Scale bar indicates a length of up to 200% of the resting length (peak launch distance 3.8 cm in Rana pipiens [139]).