3D distribution of biomineral and chitin matrix in the stomatopod dactyl club by high energy XRD-CT
Stomatopods are ferocious hunters that use weaponized appendages to strike down their pray. The clubs of species such as Odontodactylus scyllarus undergo tremendous forces, and in consequence they have intricate structures, consisting of hydroxyapatite, chitin, amorphous calcium phosphate and carbonate, and occasionally calcite. These materials are distributed differently across the four major zon