A chameleons's ability to swivel its eyes instead of swinging its whole head round is a great advantage, because it spends most of its life balancing on tree branches high above the ground. Once a chameleon spots a meal, both eyes swivel round and lock on the target. In this position the fields of vision from both eyes overlap to give an accurate three-dimensional image. When the prey is in range, out shoots the chameleon's long, sticky tongue to capture it. A chameleon can extend its tongue for a distance nearly as long as its 7 - 10 in (17 -25 cm) long body. Dwarf chameleons of southern Africa direct their tongues just ahead of the target, anticipating the victim's flight path.
An insect resting on a branch out of the chameleon's range is not necessarily safe, because the lizard remembers its position. Even if it has to make a detour and the target is out of sight temporarily, it still approaches from the right direction and catches they prey the moment it is within tongue range.
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