Jeremy (snail)

Common card · No. 469849

Jeremy (died 11 October 2017) was a left-coiled garden snail studied by researchers from the University of Nottingham. The snail had a rare condition that caused its shell to coil to the left; in the vast majority of garden snails the shell coils to the right. It was hoped that the condition would be due to a mutation, and that genes identified from this snail and its offspring would help scientists unlock genetic markers in humans and other animals. At first it was thought to be a rare genetic mutation, although later work revealed that it was likely due to an accident in early development. Jeremy was named after the left-wing British Labour politician Jeremy Corbyn, on account of it being a "lefty" snail, but also due to Corbyn's reported love of gardening. The snail became famous worldwide after a public appeal to find other left-coiled snails for a mate. Jeremy had 56 offspring and died on 11 October 2017, aged "at least two" years.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Angus Davison, CC BY-SA 4.0