An incredibly rare sea snail, the Babakina anadoni, has recently graced British waters; this snail is particularly interesting as it is defined as the most colorful in the world, and when it made its appearance off the Isles of Scilly, it immediately made headlines as this is the first time the species has been sighted in the UKstates the Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT), and that’s a really cool thing.
The sea snail Babakina anadoni was spotted by Allen Murray, a project volunteer Seasearch Diving by CWT which aims to record marine habitats and species found in UK waters and use the information to identify sites of specific conservation interest. Murray’s sighting is all the more remarkable in the context in which, although very evident in its coloring, the rainbow sea snail is but a tiny bean.
“It’s one of the most beautiful sea snails I’ve ever seen, and since it’s less than half the size of your little finger, it’s amazing Allen noticed!”
he has declared Matt Slater, Marine Conservation Officer at CWT and project coordinator Seasearch Diving for Cornwall and the Isles of Scillyin a press release sent by email to our colleagues at IFLscience.
“There is still so much out there that we don’t know about our marine environment. Records like this from our Seasearch divers are vital in helping us better understand and protect our seas ”.
What you need to know about Babakina anadoni
Like a sea snail, Babakina anadoni sits within nudibranchs, which are a notoriously flamboyant group. Among them are species that resemble grapes, sheep, bananas, and even one that can decapitate its own head to grow a fresh body from scratch.
In addition to being incredibly colorful, our rainbow sea snail has an unusual sex life. Being hermaphrodites, both parties in a mating pair are endowed with both groups of reproductive organs.
Sea snails fight with their penises to decide who is the “dominant male”, with the winner being the one who first penetrates the body wall of the other sea snail.
The rare sighting of this Babakina anadoni wielding a penis around Melledgan, an uninhabited rocky island in the Isles of Scilly, is surprising as it is far enough north for the species. It was previously only recorded along the west coast of Spain and further south in the Atlantic, but never in the UK.
“We never stop being amazed by the wildlife that appears in the waters of the Scillonia. From rare and beautiful nudibranchs to purple sea snails to large whales like humpback whales and fins, every time we dive below the surface we learn and see something new! “
said Lucy McRobert, communications manager at Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.
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