Fig. 3. Length/tension diagrams for the m. hyoglossus in Chamaeleo calyptratus. In these experiments, the tongue of the chameleon was attached to a force lever, its length changed, the muscle twitch-stimulated and the forces recorded. As in the in vivo experiments, the forces stay high for a wide range of tongue extensions. The more rapid decline of force at shorter lengths is probably due to the absence of an active hyoid retraction (note that the hyoid was immobilised in these experiments).