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Tag: Chrysomallon squamiferum

A big-hearted iron snail is the first deep-sea species to be declared endangered due to seabed mining.

Posted on July 22, 2019July 22, 2019 By Andrew Thaler
Conservation, Science

[Note: this article originally appeared on the Deep-sea Mining Observer. It is republished here with permission.]

In 2001, on an expedition to hydrothermal vent fields in the Indian Ocean, researchers made a bizarre discovery. Clustered in small aggregations around the base of a black smoker was an unusual snail, seemingly clad in a suit of armor. Rather than a single, hard, calcareous structure, the snail’s operculum was covered in a series of tough plates. On recovery to the surface, those plates, as well as the snail’s heavy shell, began to rust. This was an Iron Snail.

Individuals from the three known populations of C. squamiferum: Kairei, Longqi, Solitaire (left to right). Chong Chen.

Read More “A big-hearted iron snail is the first deep-sea species to be declared endangered due to seabed mining.” »

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