Biologists are able to study the evolution of groovin’ hairstyles by studying a snail preserved in amber. It has a fringe of delicate bristles that runs along its shell.
This unique mollusk fossil is found in the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar. It features lines of small, rigid hairs. Each one measures between 150 to 200 micrometers in length. The swirl of its shell (9 millimeters) and 3.1 milimeters tall makes it stand out.
IIt’s not the first time a hairy snail has been discovered.
“This is the sixth species of hairy shelled lizard.” Cyclophoridae – a group of tropical land snails – found so far, embedded in Mesozoic amber, about 99 million years old,” This explainsAdrienne Jochum, University of Bern paleontologist
These aren’t just extinct creatures. Many land snails can still be found today. fuzzy shells.
Jean-Michel Bichain, French Malacologist and Head of the Museum of Natural History and Ethnography in France, named the newly discovered animal. Archaeocyclotus brvivillosus – its species name combining the Latin words small (brevis) and shaggy (villōsus).
Six of the eight species of Myanmar amber snails have hairy shells. This suggests that this was their ancestral state. Researchers suggest that this fuzz could have assisted snails in their transition from a watery environment into life on land in the Mesozoic period 252 million to 66 millions years ago.
The hairs are formed from the outermost protein filled layer of the snail’s shell – the shell’s skin – called the periostracum. The tiny animals would lose energy by adding hairs to their shells, so this must have been a benefit to these prehistoric snails in their tropical environment.
Bichain and his team believe that this could have been water retention and protection from shell desiccation. This would have allowed these animals to grow into dryer soil niches. It’s possible that the shell fuzz, similar to mammalian hairs, may have assisted with thermoregulation.
“The bristles could also have been used as camouflage to protect the snail against an attack by stalking birds, soil predators, or even a direct attack from them.” explains Jochum. Jochum. Finally, it is not impossible to rule out the possibility that hairs played a role in sexual selection.
Myanmar amber is home to more than two thousand species of unique shaggy snails. Flowers delicateTo an Beautifully preserved tail of feathered dinosaurThis provides a wonderful window into the Cretaceous period’s biodiversity.
It is difficult to find evidence of ancient species in the tropics, as the conditions of the tropics are warm and moist, which are ideal for the recycling of organic matter. The fossil records of amber-covered animals fill in the gaps. soft tissuesAnd even the The metallic colors of ancient insectsIt is possible to save time by using it.
One such specimen preserved what might be the first evidence for Land snails give birth to live babiesNeonate snails are still attached to their mothers through mucus, rather than egg laying.
Unfortunately, amber is not a good choice for everyone. precious exquisite specimensCurrently, fossil trade is being funded. Myanmar is a country in turmoil. Recognizing this terrible problem, researchers note that the amber-encased snail specimen was legally collected in 2017, before current conflicts resumed.
Their study was published in Cretaceous Research.
