Ned the snail, whose discovery made international news in 2025, is heading into the new year still without a mate. Ned’s anatomy is flipped—a one in 40,000 fluke—which means a fellow leftie is required.
Illustrator Giselle Clarkson found the super-rare gastropod in August and has been devoted ever since, providing daily spritzes of water, regular terrarium clean-outs, and two right-spiralling buddies for company. Recently, she’s noticed Ned attempting “fumbles” with these friends.
When New Zealand Geographic ran a campaign to find Ned a proper mate, we received multiple emails from excited hunters who thought they might have found a leftie. Sadly, all their snails turned out to be garden-variety right-spiralling types. The ned@nzgeographic.co.nz inbox has gone quiet.
“I’m still looking,” Clarkson says. “I check every snail.”
And she is determined that Ned’s first Christmas will be festive. She has installed a gone-to-seed lettuce, which is both delicious and shaped like a Christmas tree. No decorations needed: Ned himself will become the star as he eats his way to the tippy-top.
