Bizarre snail that swims like a flying insect

Sea butterflies are microscopic snails that swim in Arctic waters using wing-like structures that protrude from the shell opening. David Murphy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA, explains how he and his colleagues have discovered that the molluscs probably have more in common with insects than other snails. Instead of using a paddling technique to swim, the minute animals beat their wings in a figure-of-eight wing beat pattern, just like flying insects.

The original research can be accessed at http://jeb.biologists.org/content/219...

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