Scientists find two tiny new snails with shells that close like doors

Scientists discovered two tiny new snail species in Montenegro, showing that even Europe still holds animals unknown to science. One lives in the threatened Komarnica Canyon, where a proposed hydropower reservoir could destroy habitat before its full biodiversity is understood. Scientists find two tiny new snails with shells that close like doors.

The species, Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, are described in a new study published in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal. Neither species has an English common name yet. Both are small, with cone-shaped shells measuring about 6 mm in length, and they live on limestone rocks where they feed on algae and lichens.

Unlike most land snails, their eyes are positioned along the sides of the head rather than at the tips of eye stalks. They also carry a circular disk attached to the tail that can seal the shell opening like a door when the animal retreats inside. New Species Found in Montenegro’s Mountains The snails were discovered during expeditions organized by Taxon Expeditions, an initiative that allows members of the public to take part in genuine scientific fieldwork.