Wander through your backyard or walk along a stream and it’s likely you’ll see a snail – small, squishy animals with shells on their backs. Snails are found in water, whether in salty oceans, rivers ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– The fossil remains of some of the first animals with shells, ocean-dwelling creatures that measure a few centimeters in length and date to about 520 million years ago, ...

You’re in good company if you’ve combed the shoreline for shells, marveled at the glinting, microscopic pieces that make up the sand, or held a snail shell up to your ear listening for the ocean or ...

This article was originally featured on The Conversation. Wander through your backyard or walk along a stream and it’s likely you’ll see a snail – small, squishy animals with shells on their backs.