Nautilus shell fragment. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a fragment from a nautilus shell. A dividing wall between two chambers is at lower right. The interior shell layer in a nautilus consists of a composite material called nacre (also known as mother-of-pearl). This material is mostly a form of aragonite, a calcium carbonate mineral. Nacre has a very high tensile strength due to a combination of soft organic layers and hard inorganic platelets of aragonite. The nautilus is a marine mollusc related to the octopus and squid (all are examples of cephalopods). It has a spiral shell divided into many chambers, of which the animal inhabits only the outermost. Magnification: x87 when printed at 10 centimetres across. | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / EYE OF SCIENCE |
Taille de l’image : | 4503 px × 3880 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
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