When you think of a fearsome, sharp-toothed predator, a squid probably isn’t the first animal that comes to mind. But these complex creatures have sophisticated eyesight, a strong beak to crush shells and agile tentacles that help them snatch up prey.
While most hard tissues in animals are mineralized, with calcium fortifying their bones, shells or teeth, the squids’ sucker teeth are instead composed of structural proteins. Scientists don’t really understand how these teeth are made.
By looking inside a squid sucker using an electron microscope, our team of scientists captured an image that shows the cell tissue that grows the teeth. The cells located in the inside walls of the suction cup secrete proteins that bind to each other and form complex teethed-ring structures.
When you think of a fearsome, sharp-toothed predator, a squid probably isn’t the first animal that comes to mind. But these complex creatures have sophisticated eyesight, a strong beak to crush shells and agile tentacles that help them snatch up prey.
While most hard tissues in animals are mineralized, with calcium fortifying their bones, shells or teeth, the squids’ sucker teeth are instead composed of structural proteins. Scientists don’t really understand how these teeth are made.
By looking inside a squid sucker using an electron microscope, our team of scientists captured an image that shows the cell tissue that grows the teeth. The cells located in the inside walls of the suction cup secrete proteins that bind to each other and form complex teethed-ring structures.
The teeth structures inside squid suckers.Abdon Pena-Francesch
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