Follow scientist Angus Davison's quest to find a mate for a rare left-coiling snail named Jeremy, with heartwarming efforts from people online. Explore the emotional journey of grieving and the significance of Jeremy's left-coiling trait. Discover the challenges faced by rare left-coiling snails in their quest for mating.
Snails exhibit unique mating behaviors like traumatic insemination, showcasing the complexity of reproductive strategies.
Angus Davison's global search for a mate for Jeremy highlighted the significance of rare genetic traits in evolutionary studies.
Deep dives
The Unique Love Life of Snails
Snails exhibit fascinating mating behaviors, including traumatic insemination where they stab each other with a spear. This process can take up to 12 hours due to their slow movements. An evolutionary geneticist named Angus Davison focused on a rare left-coiling snail, which faced mating challenges due to its unique shell structure. Despite efforts to find a mate for the left-coiling snail, named Jeremy, it ultimately mated with another snail, leaving Jeremy out of the love triangle.
The Search for a Mate and Genetic Discoveries
Angus Davison initiated a global search for a mate for Jeremy by leveraging social media and online platforms. Several potential mates were found, but Jeremy's introduced partners preferred each other over him. Jeremy's descendants, even though they were right-coiling snails, provided insights into genetic inheritance and asymmetries in species. The research delved into developmental accidents rather than genetic factors leading to left-coiling snails.
Continued Efforts and Unexpected Discoveries
Despite not finding left-coiling snails in Jeremy's descendants, Angus Davison continued his research, involving French snails that eventually produced left-coiling offspring. The story of Jeremy inspired scientific exploration and public engagement, highlighting the significance of rare genetic traits. Angus's ongoing endeavors in Hawaii and the discovery of a left-coiling snail named Coily Minogue demonstrated the unpredictability and persistence in genetic research and species study.
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