[Rockhounds] This 'wandering meatloaf' chiton has a rare mineral in its teeth

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

A rare iron mineral has been discovered in the teeth of a living organism
for the first time -- one that bears the pet name "wandering meatloaf."
While it sounds like a tour update for the musician Meat Loaf, this
research concerns a large mollusk called a chiton (not a "bat out of
hell"). The mollusk, also known as Cryptochiton stelleri, got its nickname
because it's large, reddish-brown and, well, shaped a bit like a meatloaf
escaping the pan. It lives along rocky coastlines. The largest chiton in
the world, it can reach 13 inches in length.
Researchers were surprised to find santabarbaraite in the mollusk's tooth
because it's previously been found only in rocks.


Chiton need tough teeth because they essentially chew on rocks to scrape
off algae and other food substances. Their teeth are one of the hardest
materials in nature and are attached to a flexible tongue-like structure
called a radula.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/31/world/rare-mineral-chiton-mollusk-teeth-scn/index.html