Rare 500 million year old sea snail after 31 years missing

An extremely rare species of sea snail, which has existed on Earth for 500 million years, has been discovered after 31 years of 'disappearance'. This is the second time this rare animal has been discovered.

Discovering extremely rare 500-year-old marine life

Sea snail with the name Allonautilus scrobiculatus is considered one of the most rare animals in the world. In 1984, biologist Peter Ward of the University of Washington (USA) and colleagues in a study of the sea of ​​Papua New Guinea (Oceania) discovered this species of snail and recorded it here. is a whole new creature.

However, since then, this creature seems to have "dissolved " and there is no sign of the existence of this snail. Biologists fear that the Allonautilus scrobiculatus has been extinct.

Allonautilus scrobiculatus is one of the most rare but rare ancient species

Recently, after 31 years, Ward and his colleagues once again explored the Papua New Guinea waters and were lucky to smile at him when Ward discovered the existence of Allonautilus scrobiculatus. Peter Ward and his colleagues had to scour the entire sea for four years to find this extremely rare species of snail.

Ward and his colleagues used the 'hunting stick' system every evening, with fish and chicken mounted on sticks and brought into the sea at a depth of 150 to 400 meters, to seduce the arrival of the species. This snail, then video the area around the 'hunting stick'.

'We have started using this method since 2011,' said Peter Ward. 'This year, there must be 30 people joining us every day and luckily smiling at us.'

This time, after 31 years, researchers saw not one but two creatures Allonautilus scrobiculatus appear. Researchers then captured the creature, taking samples of their tissues, shells and mucus before returning them to nature.

'We were surprised to see them clearly. They have thick crust, covered with fur and a layer of mucus on the shell ', Ward describes the rare creature.

The British snail is an ancient mollusk that once existed hundreds of millions of years ago. They often lay in deep-sea clothing, crawling with tentacles. In the aftermath of the storm in the afternoon, they pulled the flock to the surface of the water to feed, but only for a moment and then returned to the seabed. The food was shrimp, juveniles. This snail usually rarely returns to the sea surface, but it is already present, which is why it is difficult for scientists to find the Allonautilus scrobuculatus snail.

Scientists identified the Allonautilus scrobiculatus snail that once existed in the world 500 million years ago, but so far they have only been seen twice, so this can be considered one of the rare and The most mysterious in the world . Scientists hope that with the specimen they get, they can discover more mysteries about this creature.