Jeremy (snail)

Jeremy
Jeremy the left-coiling snail on top of Bree, a right-coiling snail.
SpeciesCornu aspersum
BreedSinistral
SexHermaphrodite
HatchedLondon, UK
Died11 October 2017[1]
OwnerUniversity of Nottingham
ResidenceUnited Kingdom
Offspring56
AppearanceLeft-coiled
Named afterJeremy Corbyn

Jeremy 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 most 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.[2] At first it was thought to be a rare genetic mutation,[3] although later work revealed that it was likely due to an accident in early development.[4]

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.[5][6][7] The snail became famous worldwide after a public appeal to find other left-coiled snails for a mate.[8][9] Jeremy had 56 offspring and died on 11 October 2017, aged "at least two" years.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Jeremy the 'lefty' snail dies days after mate has young". BBC.com. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2020. The university said it could not be sure of Jeremy's exact age but he was 'at least two'.
  2. ^ Sandeman, Kit (12 October 2017). "Jeremy the 'one in a million' snail dies, but leaves its own scientific legacy". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. ^ Feltman, Rachel (16 October 2017). "In loving memory of Jeremy, the one-in-a-million mutant snail". Popular Science. New York City. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference shellebrity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Frymorgen, Tomasz (20 October 2017). "RIP Jeremy: The tragic tale of a mutant snail". BBC Three. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  6. ^ Mandelbaum, Ryan F. (13 October 2017). "Lefty Snail Jeremy Has Died, Bringing a Heartwarming Story to an End". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Jeremy the snail who struggled to find love has died". ITV News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  8. ^ Breese, Chris (12 October 2017). "Jeremy the 'one in a million' lefty snail dies at University of Nottingham". Notts TV News. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  9. ^ Barlow, Jamie (8 November 2016). "One-in-a-million Nottingham snail Jeremy finds love in Suffolk". Notts TV News. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.