Science Shots, 27 March 2006. (whole item quoted) “Lefties unite! It’s the rare marine snail whose shell coils to the left rather than the right. It’s even rarer for these lefties to find a similarly whorled mate. But they do have one advantage over their dextral (righty) counterparts: Analyses of shell scars (dark line) on several fossilized snail species—telltale evidence of crab attacks—indicate that left-coiling morphs are better at cheating death. According to a report published online 21 March in Biology Letters, predatory crabs tend to be right-handed too, making it tough for them to open a left-coiling shell.”
Editorial Comment: This study does seem to indicate that left handed snails have a survival advantage over right handed ones. Therefore, if survival of the fittest is supposed to explain why animals have particular characteristics, we wonder why most snails are not left handed.
Evidence News 27 April 2006
Were you helped by this item? If so, consider making a donation so we can keep sending out Evidence News and add more items to this archive. For USA tax deductible donations click here. For UK tax deductible donations click here. For Australia and rest of world click here.