Members of the snail community rejoice worldwide as scientists discover two brand new species — both kinds of snails with the unique ability to seal their shells like a door. The snail was discovered in Durmitor National Park in Montenegro by a team of scientists, researchers, and citizen volunteers who were studying the biodiversity of the National Park’s landscape.
The new species of the snail genus, which has yet to receive a common English name and is thus only known as Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, has two unique traits that set it apart from the rest of the snail world: its eyes and its shell. The vast majority of snails have their eyes positioned on the tops of their stalk-like antennas, but this new species has their eyes placed on the sides of their head, a trait very rare in the snail family gastropods. The snails also have a unique ability to seal themselves inside their shell like it’s a personal bunker. They possess a hardened circular disk on the end of their tails, so that when they recede into their shells at the sight of danger, the tail plugs the entry to the shell, effectively rendering them invulnerable to harm. The species resides in caves, rock faces, and other parts of the rugged and rocky Montenegro landscape. The snails themselves are very small, measuring around just a millimeter in diameter and residing in conical spiral shells made out of calcium secreted by the snail’s body. The shells are typically six millimeters long. They primarily feed on the algae and lichens that grow on the rocks and limestone that they live on. The snails are found exclusively in the largely unexplored Komarnica Canyon, which is a river canyon in the northern region of Montenegro. Its unique geographic conditions promote the growth of unique species, making it the subject of much biodiversity research to better understand it and the creatures that inhabit it. It was this further research that led to the discovery of this exciting new snail.
This riveting new addition to not just the snail family, but the list of various other newly discovered animals from the year alone, proves that despite how well documented we may think the world is, there’s always something unknown lurking in the shadows. It’s just a matter of putting in time and effort to explore and research the fine details of our world.
