There has recently been a resurgence in popularity of a specific type of snail that is known to live in volcanic areas. This animal is called the scaly footed gastropod. It is named for the rare iron shell and plating around its feet. 

The scaly footed gastropod was discovered in 2001 and lives in some deep sea hydrothermal vents in the Indian Ocean. These vents expel large amounts of superheated, chemical rich, water with many dissolved elements from the Earth’s mantle. The scaly footed gastropod does not eat in a normal way but rather depends on bacteria within their bodies to release nutrients for them. These snails lay eggs that are negatively buoyant which means that they sink to the bottom of the ocean so that the warm surface can keep them warm. The scaly footed gastropod is eaten by other venomous snails and crabs that live in their habitat with them. 

The reason that these snails are so popular is because of their iron shell and body plating. It may seem impossible for a living organism to produce iron on their body. The snail obtains this iron by absorbing it from the release from the hydrothermal vents. Their shell actually has 3 layers. The inner layer is made up of mostly calcium which is similar to our bones. The middle and outer layer are both made up of iron that is infused with sulfur that is also released from these hydrothermal vents.