nutrition
Chameleons can be
denominated insectivorous because of the food they eat.
Chameleons are heterotrophs because they feed on plants and insects which later are transformed into nutrients and energy.
First they catch her pray, such as crickets, mealworms... by his long tongue and take in into the body through the mouth. Chameleons on the hunt may sit quietly and wait for the prey. A chameleon’s tongue measured twice the length of its body and goes 57 metres per second fast.
In the second step, they transform the prey into nutrients which the body can absorb. This takes place inside the digestive tube and not in individual cells, this is known as external nutrition. Also the food is broken down into smaller pieces. This happens thanks to mechanical and chemical digestion.
In the third step, they pass the nutrients from the digestive system into the blood. That blood carries the nutrients to the cells.
Finally, they eliminate undigested and waste products from the digestive system. These products are transformed into faeces that are expelled.
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