An extraordinary discovery in a natural pool. She found and photographed a rainbow snail
Searching for a moment of interesting specimens in the natural pools of south Cornwall, Vicky Barlow has made a really interesting discovery. She found and photographed a rainbow snail that was first spotted in 2022.
The British woman was traveling around Falmouth in Cornwall in search of a rare species of crab. She mainly combed the rock pools known for this type of discovery. Unexpectedly, however, she came across an even more interesting find. At one point, she noticed a multi-colored snail, which until then had been seen in much warmer waters.
A rainbow sea snail is a harbinger of disaster
“So far, this species has been observed many times by divers, but as far as we know, this is the first time a snail has been spotted by a person searching in a rock pool,” emphasized marine biologist Dr. Ben Holt of the Rock Pool Project.
The rainbow sea snail, or Babakina anadoni, is considered by ecologists to be a sign of excessive warming of the waters, caused in turn by the climate crisis. Experts emphasize that this is only a small part of the “huge changes” in the lives of sea creatures that they have observed over the past five years.
Will there be more discoveries?
“This is an amazing discovery and we expect to see more of them,” Dr Holt told BBC News. “It’s also quite unusual because stone pools are a rather harsh environment, prone to the vagaries of the tides.
Vicky Barlow revealed that she made her discovery on May 6 between Castle Beach and Gyllyngvase Beach. She pointed out that the water in the natural pool was very shallow, which is why she could see the characteristic snail. “It was quite a discovery, they are absolutely beautiful. This shows how unusual species can be found in the UK – added the enthusiast.
