French scientists from the Museum of Natural History and Ethnography discovered a 99 million years old preserved snail that still grows hair. This little snail was discovered in Myanmar’s Hukawng Valley. The newly discovered species is named “Archaeocyclotus brevivillosus” by scientists. The team of researchers was led by malacologist Jean-Michel Bichain.
What Does The Hair Indicate?
This isn’t the first snail that has been discovered in Myanmar. Out of eight discovered snails, six had hair on their shells. The scientists then speculated that the hair could have helped the snail to transform lifestyles from a watery-wet environment to land 252 to 66 million years ago. “They may also have played a role in sexual selection and thermal regulation for the snail,” Adrienne Jochum from the University of Bern said.
Myanmar Amber
Situated in northern Myanmar, it is believed to have preserved more than 2000 unique species. The species preserved in this area help scientists in studying the evolutionary process of the species, and how they have evolved over time so far.
