Scientists launch international search for mate for rare left‑coiling garden snail 'Ned'

Scientists and conservationists have launched an international appeal to find a mate for a rare left‑coiling common garden snail discovered in New Zealand, saying the animal’s unusual shell orientation is likely to prevent it from mating with typical right‑coiling snails.

The pale‑bodied snail, nicknamed Ned, was found by writer and nature enthusiast Giselle Clarkson while weeding her garden in Wairarapa. "Something looked off. It was weird," Clarkson told New Zealand Geographic, describing her initial reaction when she noticed the shell spirals were reversed.

Most land snails are dextral, meaning their shells coil to the right when viewed with the aperture facing the observer. Ned is sinistral: his shell coils to the left. Although common garden snails are hermaphrodites—carrying both male and female reproductive organs—successful mating typically requires physical alignment that corresponds to the shell’s chirality. Researchers say a sinistral individual can be effectively sterile in a population dominated by dextral mates because genital openings and body orientation do not match.

The discovery has prompted an international search for other sinistral common garden snails so that Ned might find a compatible partner. Organizers of the appeal have asked members of the public, particularly gardeners and naturalists, to check for unusually coiled snails and to report sightings to local wildlife groups and research teams. The campaign’s coordinators say locating another left‑coiling individual would allow researchers to observe whether two sinistral snails can mate successfully and to better understand the genetics and frequency of the trait.

Chirality in snails is determined early in embryonic development and is typically a stable trait tied to specific genetic factors. Left‑coiling individuals are uncommon in many species; when they do occur they often attract attention because they stand out visually and, in cases such as Ned’s, raise questions about reproductive compatibility within wild populations.

Scientists involved in the appeal described the situation as an instructive example of how small anatomical differences can have outsized effects on an animal’s reproductive prospects. They noted that while hermaphroditism offers some flexibility, it does not eliminate the need for compatible physical positioning during mating. Where sinistral snails have been observed, researchers have used field reports and targeted searches to document distribution and to study the trait’s inheritance.

Public interest in the story has been high since Clarkson’s social media posts and interviews highlighted the snail, and the animal has been dubbed a local "shellebrity." The campaign aims both to find a potential mate and to gather data on the rarity and geographic spread of sinistral individuals in the common garden snail population.

If a compatible mate is located, researchers say they would monitor any interactions to confirm whether mating and viable reproduction occur. If no sinistral partner is found, Ned is likely to remain isolated from mating opportunities in his immediate population. The search emphasizes how relatively minor developmental variations can influence ecological and evolutionary dynamics and provides a live opportunity to study snail chirality in a familiar, garden‑dwelling species.