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The strongest natural material ever known has been found... in the teeth of a tiny shellfish.

Scientists, who made the discovery while examining limpets, say the substance could revolutionise industrial engineering.

Researchers at the University of Portsmouth believe it is even stronger than the silk spiders use to make webs, until now thought weight for weight to be the world's toughest biological material.

Investigation: The researchers examined the teeth of limpets, which cling to rocks around Britain's shores, and found fibres of a mineral in them, known as goethite, have evolved to form super-strong structures

Shellfish teeth: Scientists at the University of Portsmouth, who made the discovery while examining limpets, say the substance could revolutionise industrial engineering

The scientists examined the teeth of limpets, which cling to rocks around Britain's shores, and found fibres of a mineral in them, known as goethite, have evolved to form super-strong structures.

This helps the shellfish dig into rocks to stop them being washed out to sea.

Professor Asa Barber, who led the research, said: 'Nature is a wonderful source of inspiration for structures that have excellent mechanical properties.

'All the things we observe around us, such as trees, the shells of sea creatures and the limpet teeth studied in this work, have evolved to be effective at what they do.

Up close: Researchers believe the substance is even stronger than the silk spiders use to make webs, until now thought weight for weight to be the world's toughest biological material

'Until now we thought that spider silk was the strongest biological material because of its super-strength and potential applications in everything from bullet-proof vests to computer electronics, but now we have discovered that limpet teeth exhibit a strength that is potentially higher.'

The study, published today in the Royal Society journal Interface, suggests that the structure could be copied by engineers.

Professor Barber added: 'We discovered that the fibres of goethite are just the right size to make up a resilient composite structure.

'This discovery means that the fibrous structures found in limpet teeth could be mimicked and used in high-performance engineering applications such as Formula 1 racing cars, the hulls of boats and aircraft structures.'