The strongest biological material on Earth comes from snails

Giant Africa land snails.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The strongest biological material on the planet comes from somewhere you might not expect: the teeth of aquatic snails.

Limpets, a class of snails whose shells lack obvious coiling, have teeth made of goethite, a composite mineral with incredible strength. The limpets' teeth are stronger than spider silk and "all but the very strongest of man-made materials," BBC News reports.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.