Nearly all common garden snails have shells that coil to the right but Ned the snail’s left-spiralling shell results in reversed reproductive organs – a barrier to mating
If you thought your dating pool was limited, spare a thought for Ned, a very rare snail unearthed in New Zealand. Due to a left-spiralling shell, Ned has a vanishingly small chance of finding a mate – a predicament that has sparked a nationwide campaign.
Nearly all common garden snails have shells that coil to the right but Ned’s left-spiralling shell is like a mirror image, resulting in a flipped shell and reversed reproductive organs – a configuration that affects roughly 1 in 40,000 snails.
Snails with shells and reproductive organs on the opposite side cannot mate with each other, so unless another similarly built snail is found, Ned will be forced to live a life of celibacy.
Ned – named after The Simpson’s famous left-handed neighbour Ned Flanders – was discovered last week in a back garden in Wairarapa, an hour north of Wellington.
