Scientists estimate that there are about 8.7 million species of living animals on Earth. From this vast collection of species, it is unsurprising to find unique animals that exhibit remarkable and bizarre features and behavior. One of them is a tough gastropod, which grows its metal suit of armor.
Bizarre Iron-Shelled Snail
The volcano snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum) is a gastropod mollusk that inhabits deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean. It was first discovered in the iron-rich Kairei hydrothermal vent field in 2001 and has been found at depths of about 1.5-1.7 miles (2,400-2,800 meters).
Known as nature's toughest gastropod, this volcano-dwelling snail survives in what researchers have called the 'impossible living conditions' of underwater volcanic vents. It can endure scorching temperatures, high pressures, low oxygen levels, and strong acidity. It is also the only living organism to incorporate iron into its skeleton.
Although first found in 2001, it was described and named in a research paper only in 2015. It is currently listed as 'endangered' on the IUCN's Red List, the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.
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Unveiling the Secrets of Volcano Snail
Experts have unraveled the secrets of the deep-sea snail and its metal shell after decoding its genome for the first time. Scientists hope studying this gastropod will reveal the secrets of how early life evolved, possibly unlocking its huge potential for medicine and other applications.
A team of researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made a breakthrough by identifying 25 transcription factors contributing to producing tissue-hardening materials in volcano snails. They collected and studied 20 Chrysomallon squamiferum at around 2,900 meters below sea level from the Indian Ocean.
Some of their discoveries include a genetic clue regarding the animal's metal armor. This was revealed by comparing two populations—one from an iron-rich environment and another from an iron-poor one.
The experts found that one gene, metal tolerance protein-9 (MTP), showed a 27-fold increase in the population with iron sulfide mineralization compared to the one without. According to study author Dr. Sun Jin, this protein could have enhanced the tolerance of volcano snails to metal ions. This tolerance is also believed to enable Chrysomallon squamiferum to survive their environment as the iron ions in the deep sea react with the sulfur in their scales, creating iron sulfides.
Scientists were also amazed to find that despite their unique features, volcano snails had no wholly unique genes, with the same genes also present in other mollusks like squid and pearl oysters. Moreover, its gene sequence has remained almost unchanged throughout its evolution, with its armor-like scales common among gastropods more than 540 million years ago.
Hydrothermal vents are home to a diverse collection of creatures with a huge potential for biomedical applications. While global forests have often been utilized for medicines, the oceans remain largely untapped, with unique lifeforms at deep-sea vents considered particularly promising. Because of this, the HKUST team believes their work can also pave the way for potential remedies in the medical field.
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