'Limpet teeth were recently studied and found to be the strongest biological material ever tested, five times stronger than spider silk and stronger even than man-made materials like Kevlar,' he says. Protected from the elements by their hard, cap-like shell, these molluscs eke out a living by scraping food from the rock surface with a tongue-like structure covered in hundreds of tiny teeth. It's taken some remarkable adaptations for limpets to survive in their changeable seashore habitats. A small misjudgement would see them dried out on the beach, eaten by predators or swept out to sea. 'Some animals will respond to both a circadian rhythm and a lunar clock.' Crustaceans with two compassesĪlways on the move, sand hoppers ( Talitrus saltator) work very hard to keep themselves in their ideal waterfront real estate. 'Circalunar rhythms are very difficult to discern, but they have effects on different types of organisms,' says Tom. Human circadian rhythms are easily thrown off by jet lag or a change of the clocks.īut there are also circalunar rhythms, which are tied to lunar cycles. They refer to day and night cycles driven by Earth orbiting the Sun. It's possible you've heard of circadian rhythms. There is also a whole world of fascinating adaptations relating to tides and the unique properties of moonlight. Other will time their reproduction to coincide with the specific phases of the lunar cycle.'
'For many animals, particularly birds, the Moon is essential to migration and navigation. 'The challenge is working out when the Moon truly is a factor and what is merely myth and legend.' The Moon affects life on Earth in three main waysĪccording to Tom, there are three main ways in which the Moon impacts on life: time, tides and light. 'The Moon has been up there as long as evolution has been taking place, and lunar rhythms are embedded in the life cycles of many organisms,' Tom says.
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