Iron Snails

[Subdeacon Joe]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/mystery-snails-iron-shells-survive-21988510?fbclid=IwAR3xDCvvwOYNfRcVDb2hntcUKzK5hDPMzm6ooH60GbG9CTABjXC6MFQPwcE

 

The scaly-foot snail survives in what researchers have called the "impossible living conditions" of underwater volcanic vents.

Enduring searing temperatures, high pressure, strong acidity and low oxygen, it is the only living creature known to incorporate iron into its skeleton.

Studying it will reveal the secrets of how early life evolved, scientists hope, as well as unlocking its "huge potential" for medicine and other applications.

Now a team at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made a breakthrough, decoding its genome for the first time.

 

https://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-scaly-foot-snail/

 

I present to you the scaly-foot snail, which has evolved a shell made of iron sulfide. I’ll repeat that: It builds a shell out of iron. On top of this, the squishy part that protrudes out of the shell, known as the foot, is covered with iron plates, making the scaly-foot snail more metal than Ozzy Osbourne wrapped in tin foil. And it's all thanks to bacteria, which seem to be building the armor. No other animal on Earth can utilize iron this way. The thing is magnetic, for Pete's sake.

This is no ordinary snail, but then again, it lives in no ordinary environment. It's hanging around hydrothermal vents, where seawater percolates into the crust and is heated by underlying magma, reaching 750 degrees F or more, pouring out and bringing toxins with it. This is a very, very rough neighborhood.

According to biologist Shana Goffredi of Occidental College, among the animals down there are the mortal enemies of the scaly-foot snail: crabs and other snails. “It’s very strange because a lot of snails must have the same kinds of predators,” she said. “So I don't think there's anything special about the predatory challenges on them, but still it looks like they have really beefed up their shells for some reason.”

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Hey Joe,

I'll never think of escargot any other way now thanks to your post. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

And they haven’t added it to a menu yet?

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

The chefs at Wuhan are working on a recipe. 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I find it intriguing that it lives in the ocean and grows, YET..... its iron shell doesn't rust from sea water.

 

..........Widder

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Likely a little more to it than iron.

[Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172]

Do they make good pets?   My pet rock might like a companion. 

[Michigan Slim]

Dentist: "Yep. third cracked tooth I had in here since that Chinese restaurant opened next door last week."

[Raylan]

That's nothing, I've met people who've grown a heart of stone.