Left-coiling snail shells: dating woes and evolutionary advantages

A snail named Ned has a rare trait: his shell coils to the left, making him part of a 1-in-40,000 group with mirrored anatomy—and a very limited dating pool. Discovered in a New Zealand veggie patch, Ned inspired a nationwide search for a match, echoing a 2017 quest for Jeremy, a similarly sinistral snail whose romantic journey included love triangles and 56 offspring. Turns out, snail mating is wilder than fiction—featuring love darts, hermaphroditism, and a whole lot of evolutionary drama. Ned is a perfectly nice snail, but a rare shell means a doomed love life (Charlotte Graham-Mclay, AP, Sep 5, 2025) Lonely 'lefty' snail seeks mate for love — and genetic study (University of Nottingham, Oct 21, 2016) Jeremy, The Lonely, Left-Twisting Snail, Dies — But Knows Love Before The End (Camila Domonoske, NPR, Oct 13, 2017) Snakes and Snail "Handedness" (Stephanie Muddle, Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium, Aug 28, 2020) Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast [email protected]