structural color
101. Shell provides resistance against cracking: macadamia nut
"The stones of the macadamia fruits are generally called 'macadamia nuts'. They are very hard to crack with fracture toughness comparable with that of glass and many ceramics, and their work of fracture is about an order of magnitude higher than...
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102. Hierarchical organization of peel confers impact resistance: pummelo
"Natural materials often exhibit excellent mechanical properties. An example of outstanding impact resistance is the pummelo fruit (Citrus maxima) which can drop from heights of 10 m and more without showing significant outer damage. Our data ...
104. Eyes diffract light: moth
"The moth eye is an example of a diffractive optical approach to an antireflection coating, which could lead to use on high-power laser optics to reduce reflection." (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)
105. Mineralized jaws resist abrasion: bloodworm
"Biominerals are widely exploited to harden or stiffen tissues in living organisms, with calcium-, silicon-, and iron-based minerals being most common. In notable contrast, the jaws of the marine bloodworm Glycera dibranchiata contain the copper-b...
106. Animal Crackers
Darwin proposed that all creatures adapt themselves to the ever-changing world by a process he called Natural Selection. As species adapt from generation to generation, nature "selects" those species better suited to survive than their c...
107. Colorful skin may serve to impress.
"Most mammals and birds are rather dull as far as skin coloration goes, and the exceptions are all the more astonishing - the red nose and blue cheeks of the mandrill baboon, or the turquoise neck of the cassowary bird, are splendidly impressive."...
108. Crystals create iridescent sheen: rainbow trout
"The scales of a rainbow trout, reflective yet translucent. The silvery lustre is due to crystals of guanine, produced in the body as a waste product. The tiny black speckles are pigment cells, and at intervals there are large clusters of these wh...
109. Eyes sensitive to circular polarized light: mantis shrimp
"Animals make use of a wealth of optical physics to control and manipulate light, for example, in creating reflective animal colouration and polarized light signals. Their precise optics often surpass equivalent man-made optical devices in both so...
110. Light used for camouflage: velvet belly lantern shark
"Many midwater animals emit ventral light to hide their silhouette in the water column. This phenomenon known as counterillumination typically requires fine control over light emission since it needs a luminescence that closely matches the p...
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