Boxfish shell could inspire new form of body armour

The research, conducted by a team from the University of California, San Diego, examined the hexagonal-shaped scales – or scutes – of the boxfish. It found that the scutes were connected by sutures similar to the structure of a baby’s skull, where bones fuse together as the baby grows.

In their findings, published in the journal Acta Materialia, the researchers claim the boxfish sutures are different to those found elsewhere in nature. On impact, the sutures’ zigzag patterns essentially lock in and keep the scutes from breaking apart.

“The most common form of suture structures in nature are those that have a roughly triangular shape and consist of two important components: rigid suture teeth and a compliant interface,” said Steven Naleway, a materials science and engineering Ph.D. student and co-author of the paper.

“To the best of our knowledge, there is no compliant phase in the interface of the boxfish’s sutures. In addition, the teeth themselves have a much lower aspect ratio – meaning that they are shorter and wider – than most other examples.”