Living
By Natalie O'Neill
Submit
February 20, 2020 | 1:27pm | Updated February 20, 2020 | 2:11pm
Getty Images
Taxon Expeditions
View Slideshow
A tiny brown snail species was named after teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg — because the unfortunate critter got stuck adapting to a planet that’s hot as “shell,” researchers said.
The temperature-sensitive slimer — Craspedotropis gretathunberga — was discovered recently by scientists on the island of Borneo near Malaysia, according to the Biodiversity Data Journal.
“The newly described snail belongs to the so-called caenogastropods, a group of land snails known to be sensitive to drought, temperature extremes and forest degradation,†Menno Schilthuizen, of the scientific research group Taxon Expeditions, said in a press release.
The 2mm-long mollusks, which have gray tentacles and a concave shell, were named after the Swedish climate change crusader because they have been forced to “fix problems they did not create,†said researcher J.P. Lim.
“Naming this snail after Greta Thunberg is our way of acknowledging that her generation will be responsible for fixing problems that they did not create. And it’s a promise that people from all generations will join her to help,†Lim said.
Thunberg told the group she was “delighted†that the snail had been named after her, researchers said.
The heat-zapped snails were discovered at the foot of a steep hill near a riverbank.
Read Next
Life of pie: 103-year-old woman still helps run Virginia b...
Read Next
Life of pie: 103-year-old woman still helps run Virginia b...
Share Selection
This story has been shared 67,814 times. 67,814
This story has been shared 53,523 times. 53,523
This story has been shared 43,664 times. 43,664
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Podcasts.
Learn More
© 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved Terms of Use Privacy Notice Your Ad Choices Sitemap California Privacy Rights Do Not Sell My Personal Information