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Animal profile

Scaly-Foot Snail

Chrysomallon squamiferum

GastropodaDeep-sea hydrothermal vent fields at about 2,400 to 2,900 metres depthEndangered

Field profile

The scaly-foot snail is a deep-sea gastropod found only at Indian Ocean hydrothermal vents. Its foot is covered in overlapping mineralised scales and its shell carries an outer layer containing iron sulphides. It depends on symbiotic bacteria housed in a greatly enlarged oesophageal gland.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-09-04

Scaly-Foot Snail

One deep-sea snail armours itself in iron sulphide

The scaly-foot snail incorporates iron sulphide minerals into the scales on its foot and into the outer layer of its shell. No other animal is known to build a skeleton with these compounds, and it happens only at vents rich in dissolved iron.

Read with evidence →

Scaly-Foot Snail | Daily Animal Facts