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Post by sezzy5889 on Mar 23, 2006 16:02:26 GMT
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Post by CelticCraftress on Mar 23, 2006 21:34:33 GMT
Wow, that's quite interesting! I didn't know there were left/right handed...shelled? snails. How cute, i'll be able to say my snails are a lefty or a righty  Still though, neat find Sarh  |
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Post by Robert Nordsieck on Mar 23, 2006 21:37:01 GMT
Hi there, in German we call a sinistral Helix pomatia a snail king, because it is so rare. Is there any expression in English for that phenomenon, except to call the snail a sinistral one? There are several homepages on the subject, including one of mine (though, alas, so far only in German), but if you are interested you should certainly look at this page from the Jacksonville Shell Club in Florida: Reverse Coiled Gastropods. Regards Robert |
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KathyM
Achatina tincta
Posts: 709
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Post by KathyM on Mar 24, 2006 9:08:10 GMT
PMSL @ left "handed" ;D
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Post by sezzy5889 on Mar 24, 2006 9:20:45 GMT
yes we call them sinistral and dextral i think,
I was just interested in the bit where it mentions that sinistral snails may have an advantage against predators etc :-)
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LisaLQ
Archachatina papyracea
Old friend (emphasis on the "old")
Posts: 2,995
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Post by LisaLQ on Mar 24, 2006 20:06:29 GMT
I see a sequel to "My Left Foot" in the making.... |
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KathyM
Achatina tincta
Posts: 709
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Post by KathyM on Mar 25, 2006 17:39:41 GMT
PMSL!
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Post by sezzy5889 on Mar 25, 2006 18:09:16 GMT
It should be left foot, for a snail, lol
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Post by Robert Nordsieck on Mar 25, 2006 23:16:35 GMT
The sinistral Helix pomatia may become pretty famous. There has been an article in a local newspaper about a sinistral Helix found by a biologist (of all people) in a children's playground in Vienna, and I know of a living sinistral Helix pomatia of Peter Leonhardt, that found it's way into a broadcast of the VOX channel in Germany. Mr Leonhardt, besides, rightly points out, that the reversal of shell coiling in snails ressembles strongly an illness, that can be found in humans, where all organs are on the wrong side of the body. Besides there are land snail families, that are exclusively dextral ( Helicidae), others, that are exclusively sinistral (most (!) Clausiliidae) and finally some that have sinistral and dextral species. But in general, among one species, shell coiling will be almost exclusively to one side. Except, of course, those rare specimens, which, in Helix pomatia, I think, make one twenty thousandth of all. Which is why in German we call them snail kings (see some postings ago). Regards and a good night Robert |
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Arno
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,493
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Post by Arno on Mar 26, 2006 0:12:52 GMT
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Post by Robert Nordsieck on Mar 26, 2006 8:16:15 GMT
Yes he did. Now that you mention it, of course - the sinistral specimen is the one on the right side! Besides: I now have an English language page on the subject: " The Way Snail Shells Are Coiled". Might be of interest. Regards Robert |
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Still though, neat find Sarh 
