Researchers Are Searching for a Mate for Left-Coiled Snail Jeremy

STATES CHRONICLE – In November, Jeremy the snail’s story became popular. He belongs to a rare kind of snails, which made it hard for him to find another specimen for mating. Then, a global call was issued to find the special snail a mate, but this did not work out either, as he ended up on the unpleasant side of a love triangle.

Jeremy is a rare kind of snail

Jeremy is not like most snails, which have coils on the shell which go on the right. His coils are on the left, as well as his reproductive organs. This makes it difficult for him to mate with the other snails with reproductive organs on the right. Such left-coiled specimens are as rare as one in 100,000, or even one in one million. Therefore, the snail had trouble in finding his other half.

Therefore, researchers from the University of Nottingham decided to start a campaign and ask anybody who had a left-coiled snail bring it to mate with Jeremy. Shortly, they found not one, but two partners. A woman from the English city of Ipswich said she had a potential match named Lefty. Also, researchers had found another compatible snail in Spain, called Tomeu.

On the wrong side of the love triangle

However, it didn’t work out well for Jeremy. On Wednesday, scientists from the University of Nottingham revealed the sad truth. Jeremy did not get to mate with any of the snails, as they ignored him and mated with each other instead.

Lefty and Tomeu have laid three series of eggs, and 170 baby snails have already hatched. Unfortunately, none of them exhibit the genetic mutation present in their parents. Both of them laid eggs, since snails are hermaphrodites and have both types of sexual cells.

Researchers did not give up and are still searching for a pair for Jeremy. Until then, he has taken the role of uncle seriously, and is taking good care of Lefty and Tomeu’s baby snails.
Image Source: Public Domain Pictures