Rain pours down on the Australian grasslands. It soaks the ground. Soon, the mud starts to move. Insects come out to look for food. A crucifix frog digs her way to the surface. The cross-shaped pattern on her back stands out. The hungry insects spot her and attack.

Luckily, this frog has a special adaptation. She lets out sticky goo on her skin. The insects get stuck! When she sheds her skin, she eats the skin along with the insects.

A yellow ribbon flicks in the air. It is a forked tongue attached to the drooling mouth of a 3‑meter‑ (10‑foot‑) long lizard. This Komodo dragon is on the hunt in Indonesia.

Komodos have developed extreme adaptations for hunting. Their tongues help them taste the air to find prey. Their strong, jagged teeth tear through large animals, like water buffalo. But it’s the drool that is the dragons’ secret weapon.

Komodo dragon mouths have more than 50 kinds of bacteria. At least seven kinds are deadly! Komodos also have venom in their saliva. It stops the victim’s blood from clotting. Just one bite from a Komodo sends poison into a wound. A Komodo follows its prey and waits for the venom to work.

A “worm” wiggles over a coral reef. A passing fish swims toward it. In the blink of an eye, the fish is sucked into the mouth of a frogfish.

Frogfish have three approaches to hunting. First, they are masters of disguise. Some look like rocks or sponges. They blend in so well, passing fish do not see them.

Second, frogfish have built-in fishing poles. They have long spines that look like worms on top of their heads. They wiggle them to lure fish.

Third, frogfish can inflate their bodies to make them much larger. This creates pressure. They use it to suck in prey like a vacuum cleaner.