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New Snail Species Discovered In Croatia's Deepest Cave

Posted by samzenpus on from the fresh-face dept.

minty3 writes "The new snail species, Zospeum tholussum, has no eyes or pigmentation on its shell and is considered to be a true eutroglobiont or cave-dweller. It was found by a team of cavers and biologists from the Croatian Biospeleological Society. While on an expedition to determine the cave’s depth, they collected animal specimens including one of the previously unidentified snails along with eight of its empty shells."

34 comments

  1. Frost piss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Frost piss

  2. No pigmentation on its shell? by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Funny

    Bah. Most everyone has support for ANSI escape sequences on their terminals these days.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Lives in dark? No pigment? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    What's his Slashdot UID?

    And I bet he never gets first post, either....

  4. I guess you could say it's been a... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Slow news day?

  5. Not new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not a new species. It just took a LONG time to get down there.

  6. Wow... by djupedal · · Score: 2

    Talk about your slow news day...

    1. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      It took you 15 minutes after the original was posted to repost this joke... and I thought the snails were slow.

    2. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To be fair, DJ-u-pedal was pedaling as fast as he could.

  7. Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Why is this here? No, it's not stuff that matters, nor is it news for nerds. The only ones that *might* give a flying fuck are the french (and we dont care about them as well)....

    1. Re:Great by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm sorry... there's spelunking. There's caves (trolls! darkness!). There's a brand-new species. It doesn't even have eyes (take that, Beholder!). It's something that makes a neat trace for evolution (eat that, micro-evolutionists!). It shows what is necessary for species to survive - sometimes, that's something completely different from what we expect.

      And somehow, that's not news for nerds? Stuff that matters? Go shove your "I need things to cater to myself exclusively" attitude so far up your ass that you'll find your own species of blind, unpigmented species of snails.

      --
      Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    2. Re:Great by tedgyz · · Score: 2

      I'm sorry... there's spelunking. There's caves (trolls! darkness!). There's a brand-new species. It doesn't even have eyes (take that, Beholder!)...

      Ok, what are the odds of two /. stories containing references to the Beholder? Here is the other comment on the 3D gun art story: Art

      What is even more weird is that I just found my box of D&D books in my parents attic. I showed my kids, including the Beholder. Sadly, they were disinterested in the books. Video games makes it way too easy to play RPG.

      --
      "No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
    3. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Doesn't really do much for "micro-evolutionists", as the removal of functionality (sight) isn't particularly impressive, and "species" is largely-arbitrary human categorization.

      Now, present in specific detail how the transition from asexual to sexual reproduction occurred, and I'll be more impressed.

    4. Re:Great by WillKemp · · Score: 1

      it's not stuff that matters

      It matters to the snail!

    5. Re:Great by Valdrax · · Score: 1

      It's science. It's the discovery of a new species. It involves caves and exploration to depths previously unreached. It involves slimy creatures that the mainstream wouldn't love -- tiny little snails with no eyes and translucent shells and bodies that hitch a ride on bigger mammals to cover large distances. Where is your inner child such that you look at those pictures and feel no sense of wonder or joy about it?

      If you can't find a single nerdy interest in all of this, and all you have to offer is some redneck nationalism, then I'd say to turn in your geek card, but you probably never had one in the first place.

      --
      If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
    6. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You tell us how God came to exist and I'll be equally as impressed.

    7. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Now, present in specific detail how the transition from asexual to sexual ...
      You stop playing D&D in the basement, start showering, get a girlfriend and suddenly it's no longer asexual

    8. Re:Great by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      Dwelling in the depths in a dark, moist environment? No pigmentation? Only moves a few centimetres every week?

      This has Slashdot written all over it.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  8. How to prepare them by AndyKron · · Score: 2

    But were they tasty?

  9. New Taste? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are they tasty with garlic and butter sauce? If not, than seal the cave and scratch them off the "discovered" list.

  10. Re:Lives in dark? No pigment? by apcullen · · Score: 1

    Lives in dark? No pigment?

    i.e. -- mom's basement.

  11. And now extinct! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Awesome! We find a new snail species, collect only known specimen, and then will promptly end up killing it by doing so!

    Is there anything in the scientific method about the ethics of species discovery and potential extinction? Have to wonder how much discovery has led to species extinction in the past 100 years

    1. Re:And now extinct! by mythosaz · · Score: 1

      100% of species that went extinct in our lifetime were discovered first.

      Pretty clear correlation, 'eh?

    2. Re:And now extinct! by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      Awesome! We find a new snail species, collect only known specimen, and then will promptly end up killing it by doing so!

      Is there anything in the scientific method about the ethics of species discovery and potential extinction? Have to wonder how much discovery has led to species extinction in the past 100 years

      Um, if they just took the only living member of the species out of the cave, I'm pretty sure that the species was already doomed to become extinct in the very near future.

  12. Truly true? by WillKemp · · Score: 4, Informative

    ... is considered to be a true eutroglobiont ...

    That's tautology - "eutroglobiont" means "true cave dwelling organism" - the "eu" prefix means "true".

    1. Re:Truly true? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? I would have pegged it as a fallacy...

      The "no true Scotsman" fallacy, in particular. I mean, isn't it a bit snobbish to imply that all other cave dwellers aren't actually "proper" cave dwellers? By whose standards?

  13. For a second there by whargoul · · Score: 1

    I thought I gave a shit...turns out it was just gas.

    1. Re: For a second there by Rhurazz12 · · Score: 0

      Nah, it was the snails that gave a shit when they revealed themselves to the scientists. Then as they say, history is made!

    2. Re:For a second there by robthebloke · · Score: 1

      Be careful about saying that in public, you might get fracked....

  14. Why a shell at all? by Major+Byte · · Score: 1

    It must be (biologically) expensive to grow a shell, so this critter must have them for a pretty good reason. Protection from other snails? To survive dry periods? To be less edible to "a small, slimy creature" with "lamp-like" eyes?

  15. "its empty shells" by LMariachi · · Score: 1

    Does this mean that this snail molts, or was that a poorly-written way of saying eight empty shells from the same species?

  16. Did it find Nikoli Ceausescu's soul? by sandbagger · · Score: 1

    I gather it was heading downward.

    --
    ---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
    1. Re:Did it find Nikoli Ceausescu's soul? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Croatia, not Romania

  17. 2mm per week in circles? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are they also the slowest species?
    And what exactly are they eating to exist?
    At that scale I guess you don't need much.

    And, had to laugh when the article mentioned their movement around the cave system via water or "hitching a ride" on other animals.
    At 2mm per week does the animal wait or was it the survivors on the bottom of spelunkers' boots that got them around?

  18. Am I the only one.. by angiasaa · · Score: 1
    ..who thought that they actually expected to find eyes on its shell? :-o

    Zospeum tholussum, has no eyes or pigmentation on its shell

    --
    Geekism is your _only_ God!