A very odd mollusk that has been nicknamed the “wandering meatloaf” has been studied and it turns out that it has teeth made of a rare iron mineral that was only ever found along rocky coastlines. The mollusk, which is scientifically named
Cryptochiton stelleri, has a reddish-brown flat oval-shaped body with a shell and can grow as long as 14 inches (it really does look like a wandering meatloaf).
Since its teeth contain the rare iron mineral santabarbaraite, it can easily grab food from rocks. In fact, this is the first time ever that the mineral has been found in a living organism. In a statement, Derk Joester, who is an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois, described this mineral in further detail, “[Santabarbaraite] has high water content, which makes it strong with low density. We think this might toughen the teeth without adding a lot of weight.”