Snail's Trail

 

In 1846, an explorer collected a desert snail in Egypt and sent it back to London for the museum's collection. Presumed to be just an empty shell, it was mounted on a piece of cardboard for exhibition. It sat there, apparently lifeless, until 1850. One day, a curator named William Baird noticed something odd. There was a bit of moisture on the cardboard near the snail's shell, suggesting it might not be dead after all. Baird carefully removed the snail from the card and placed it in a bowl with a little warm water. To the astonishment of the museum staff, the snail slowly emerged from its shell. It had survived the entire time without food or water in a state of deep torpor. The snail was given a new home in a glass jar and became a minor celebrity. It lived for another two years on a diet of fresh cabbage leaves.