#chrysomallon

A life lived in the boiling waters near deep-sea hydrothermal vents is certainly a challenging one. Only the toughest animals may thrive here, a statement that the scaly-foot gastropod (Chrysomallon squamiferum) takes quite literally.

The snail incorporates iron-sulfides from the mineral rich water into a triple-layered shell, and scaly sclerites that coat its fleshy body. As is common in hydrothermal vent life, the animal relies on endosymbiotic bacteria to survive. It is speculated that the sclerites may be a novel usage of the toxic bacterial waste products that build up in the snail’s body, although nobody is certain of their true purpose.