Sea slugs can be the hardest biological material in the world

British scientists believe that the teeth of a slug may be the hardest biological material ever known.

Limpet is a small mollusk, often found on the western coast of Europe. BBC says that these animals use their teeth to scrape food from the stone and often swallow the chips while eating.

Teeth of the limpet when viewed through electronic scanning microscopy (SEM). (Photo: University of Portsmouth)

The limpet's teeth are made up of a mixture of mineral minerals. Their strength is 10 times higher than that of spider silk, which was once considered the strongest biodegradable material ever, and is stiffer than all the hardest artificial materials available today. It is even harder than Kevlar, the material used to make bulletproof jerseys.

The teeth are made up of many fibers, stacked together in a separate way. The fibers are less than one millimeter long, consisting of iron goethite bound to the protein, similar to the way carbon fibers are added to resin.

"This is an intelligent species that uses microwaves with a microscopic size, so that the stretch marks on the yarn do not affect the overall durability of the composite structure , " said National Geographic professor Asa. Says Barber, head of research at the University of Portsmouth.

Limpet clings to the rock surface under water. Photo: Alamy

This discovery could help scientists improve the quality of composite materials, which are often used in the manufacture of aircraft, automobiles, ships or the dental field.