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History:...Lure tricks prey: bolas spider...Microscopic plates produce interference colors: copepods...What is Biomimicry?

Thank a Genius
Created: 2010-09-03
Updated: 2010-09-03

Gas-storage chamber controls buoyancy: nautilus


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Slide_show_arrows  1 of 1 Nautilus shell cut in half / Chris 73 / LicenseGFDL - Gnu Free Document License

The inner chambers of a nautilus allow for buoyancy control via different mixtures of stored air and water.

Biomimicry Taxonomy
 
Taxonomy_1 Move or stay put >
Taxonomy_2 Move >
Taxonomy_3 In/on liquids
Biomimetic Application Ideas
 
Mixing system for unlike materials.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary
"The body of the mollusc inhabits the very last of a spiralling series of chambers inside the shell. By filling the inner chambers with a mixture of air and water, the nautilus achieves perfect buoyancy, allowing it to rise effortlessly during its nightly migration from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the surface." (Downer 2002:17)
About the inspiring organism
Med_793pxnautiluscutawaylogarithmicspiral Nautilidae
Nautilidae


Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist
Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Mixing system for unlike materials.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Manufacturing

References
Downer, J. 2002. Weird Nature: An Astonishing Exploration of Nature's Strangest Behavior. Ontario: Firefly Books.
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