Below the surface of the Indian Ocean lie hydrothermal vents that spit scalding water into the sea. These vents, heated by the Earth’s magma, erupt in inky black jets, and generally seems like inhospitable places to call home.
That is, unless you’re the Chrysomallon squamiferum, or scaly-foot gastropod. These snails find this part of the world quite cozy, and have developed a number of pretty insane adaptations for living in such a place.
Meet the scaly-foot gastropod. Yes, it’s stylish, but its unique characteristics are also extremely useful in its harsh environment.
It doesn’t just have a shell, for example — this creature’s shell is covered in a layer of iron. And those fringy bits on the rest of its body? Those are hard, mineralized scales made of iron sulphides. This animal is literally wearing armor, and is the only animal on the planet currently known to use iron like this.
Their shells are mainly covered in pyrite, commonly known as “fool’s gold,” and greigite, which is magnetic. The metals in their bodies come from the vents, which are mineral-rich, spewing metals and sulphides up from the interior of the Earth. These armored layers of the snail’s shell serve as defense from predators, and can actually damage the claws of an attacker. In fact, it’s so effective that the U.S. military has been studying the snail, looking for inspiration for new armor designs for soldiers.
The scaly-foot gastropod was first discovered in 2001 at a depth of more than two kilometers in the Indian Ocean. There are actually two varieties of these snails living in different hydrothermal vent fields. In the Kairei field, the snails are black and iron-rich, and are actually magnetic as a result. In the Solitaire field, the snails lack iron and are white, lacking magnetic properties.
Because it has iron integrated into its body, the scaly-foot gastropod is magnetic!
Yes, those are magnets sticking to the snail. The snail seems a bit confused by this.
(via Amusing Planet, More than a Dodo, Wikipedia)
Though it’s been known for over a decade, the scaly-foot gastropod was finally given an official, scientific name: Chrysomallon squamiferum. Currently, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History has five specimens of snails that they’ll employ for research and education, and, we can only assume, sticking tiny magnets on for fun.
If you like these little guys, you can also purchase a scaly-foot keychain of your very own from this artist and snail enthusiast’s online shop.
