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Limpet design
Limpet design. Artwork of an ideal design for a limpet shell with an owl limpet (Lottia gigantea, upper left). The diagram on the graph paper shows a perfect design where the peak is over the centre of the base and at a height that is 53 percent of the base width. This design would minimize the drag and lift caused by waves threatening to dislodge the limpet from rocks in its coastal environment. In reality, the owl limpet is squat with a markedly off-centre peak. It is thought that this shape allows it to push other limpets off its territory. The crucial factor that decides whether a limpet is washed off or not, is thought to be how tightly it can glue itself to its rock.
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