(To quote the immortal words of John Shuttleworth).. whether you’re a typist, or a concert pianist, or even if your dream is, to be a dental hygienist!…
..to all our chums following the wonderful world of Coleshed here is a beach treat… a reprise of Luminous Limpets.
Lets just stop and talk limpets. Frankly these have, for many years, been an underrated gastropod. However a couple of years ago, these little beasties did benefit from some amazing publicity: Researchers at the University of Portsmouth discovered that limpet teeth are the strongest biological material ever discovered. They contain an iron bearing mineral called goethite which is laced with a protein substance which strengthens them further. These teeth (or radula) are used to rasp algae from the rocks that the limpets live on for food. The tensile strength of this material would be equivalent to a single string of spaghetti holding up 1500kg (that’s the same as a Ford Fiesta). Go limpets. LOL
Read more about this research at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-31500883
The original Luminous Limpet photos were taken in Croyde Bay (North Devon coast) in the late afternoon sunshine in November 2015. The beach at Croyde faces west and catches the sun as it goes downover the sea. See the original post at https://coleshed.wordpress.com/2015/11/14/luminous-limpets/
Two years later, these new photos were taken on Thurleston Beach (also west-facing, but on the South Devon coast) on a fabulous December afternoon, with the sun shining low over a very calm sea.
.. and as a bonus, here is a ‘by-the-wind sailor’ Velella velella, found on the beach at the same time. This is a species of free floating hydrozoa which lives on the surface of the ocean.
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