A rare garden snail named Jeremy, whose shell spirals anti-clockwise, has been left out after two potential mates coupled up with each other. Jeremy's unusual coiling makes it difficult for him to mate with most snails, whose shells spiral clockwise and have organs on the opposite side.
Angus Davison, a professor at the University of Nottingham, took Jeremy into his care and launched an international search in October 2016 for a suitable partner. “This snail is very rare. It’s literally one in a million,” Davison said.
Two left-coiling snails were found: Lefty from Suffolk, England, and Tomeu from Majorca, Spain. Despite initial interest, the two paired up and produced 170 offspring, all coiling clockwise like the majority of snails.
Davison described the situation as akin to introducing a friend to a love interest only for them to couple up. However, he remains hopeful that future generations may produce left-coiling snails. Jeremy continues to reside in the Nottingham laboratory as the search for his mate continues.
