The one and only: snail with spikes, the shell of which consists of iron

The discovery of this mysterious mollusk on the bottom of the oceans once again demonstrated to scientists how incredible and diverse life is on our planet. The shell of this creature consists of a salt of iron, which is not found in any other animal living on our planet. In addition, the mollusk has a very outstanding appearance, its nutrition is completely dependent on the bacteria producing food for it, and it lives near the “black smokers” at a depth of almost 2.5 kilometers. We offer to get acquainted with the "iron" snail - Crysomallon squamiferum.

Extremes of the underwater world

Unique sink with iron, which has no analogues

As you know, mollusks belong to animals lacking an internal skeleton, but some of them have an external skeleton - shells. They have the most diverse shape and size, but a similar chemical composition. The shells of modern mollusks are composed of calcium carbonate and conchiolin protein. But the unusual Crysomallon squamiferum, living in a chemical-specific environment, learned to absorb iron and use it to build an external skeleton in the form of a salt - iron sulfide. In the shell of the "iron" snail, in addition to the layer of calcium carbonate and protein, there is also an upper layer consisting of an iron salt. Biologists first encountered such material as part of an exoskeleton and were extremely surprised. The size of the shell of this mollusk is not large - 3-4.5 centimeters.

Spiked leg

All snails, including our "iron" hero, belong to the class of gastropods, and this implies the presence of one powerful leg. But here Crysomallon squamiferum distinguished itself: its leg is covered with needle-like thin plates. These unusual plates, like those found in animals in ancient times, cover the entire visible part of the body of the mollusk, except for the head. In their composition were found all the same iron sulfides, as well as concholin protein, but it is not yet clear what role they play in the life of the mollusk.

Cute bacteria friends

The incredible clam Crysomallon squamiferum is a prime example of how the habitat affects the evolution of living organisms. After all, all his amazing features arose only because he lives near the underwater "black smokers". And if you are interested in learning in more detail what "black smokers" are and how they are formed, then you can read about this in one of our previous materials.