14 DAY TRIAL // Though a bit disgusting to investigate, researchers have finally discovered the contents of the material that keeps certain species of snails afloat in the world's oceans. It would appear that the material they use to remain on the surface is made up of strings of eggs interlaced with goo.
In a new study, experts from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (U-M) discovered that the eggs in such floating devices were in various stages of development, suggesting that snails' reproductive organs can double as life raft generators when the need arises.
“If you're into mucus, it's a fascinating mucus. It's almost like bubble wrap,” U-M team leader Celia Churchill explains. She adds that the sheer complexity of these creatures' evolutionary paths is amazing, and also worthy of further studies.
This is not by far the only weird ability snails have. Experts have, for example, been trying to emulate the slimy residues on which the animals move forward on solid ground for many years, but thus far they have failed, ScienceNow reports.