Many people believe that the world has already revealed all its natural secrets. However, the truth is that there is still a lot to be discovered, even in smaller sizes. A new little creature was recently found crawling around Thailand, for example.
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After heavy rain was recorded in one of the forests of Thailand, researchers found the small creature crawling on the ground. They described their movements as being similar to some kind of dance.
The animal was in an area of limestone rock, in the Phu Pha Lom forest, according to information from the study published on May 19 in the journal ZooKeys.
This unusual creature has been identified as a new species of "dancing" slug: Cryptosemelus niger, the researchers said. These types of animals are slug-like molluscs with snail-like shells. Dancing demi-snails are named for the "dance moves they make when disturbed or attacked," researchers said.
researchers.
In a photo, the creature is very friendly and really looks a lot like a dark-colored snail.
Cryptosemelus niger has a "black body" with a "dark brown" shell and four antenna-like structures protruding from its head, the researchers said in the released paper.
The photos show the animal's coloring and the deep textured grooves in its skin. Between the soil and wood of its habitat, the slug seems to blend in relatively well.
This new creature was named after the Latin word for "black" because of its distinctive coloration, the study said. The researchers identified the new species by its morphological characteristics, specifically its tongue-like structure, genitalia and body coloration, the study said. They didn't analyze the DNA of the semi-snail or compared its genetic composition with other species.
"Future studies on the (molluscs) of the northeastern part of Thailand require further research in neglected and isolated natural areas," the study said.
Phu Pha Lom Forest is located about 325 miles northeast of Bangkok and close to the Thailand and Laos border.