Developing high-performance composite materials is of great significance as a strong support for high-end manufacturing. However, the design and optimization of composite materials lack a theoretical basis and guidance scheme. Compared with traditional composite materials, natural materials are composed of relatively limited components but exhibit better mechanical properties through ingenious and reasonable synthetic strategies. Based on this, learning from nature is considered to be an effective way to break through the bottleneck of composite design and preparation. In this review, the recent progress of natural composites with excellent properties is presented. Multiple factors, including structures, components and interfaces, are first summarized to reveal the strategies of natural materials to achieve outstanding mechanical properties. In addition, the manufacturing technologies and engineering applications of bioinspired composite materials are introduced. Finally, some scientific challenges and outlooks are also proposed to promote next-generation bioinspired composite materials.