What if a scrooge inspired the name of a snail?
What: Ba humbugi is one of the rarest, smallest mollusks on the planet.
Who: Malacologists, like Alan Solem who gave Ba humbugi its festive name, are scientists who study mollusks like the Ba humbugi and other snails.
When: Scientists of science past might be super stuffy, but scientists of science present and future also have stellar senses of humor. They might be their "scientific" names but listen to how they sound when you say names like the Ba humbugi snail and the super small species of sea snail, ittibittium out loud... lol.
Where: The Mba District on the Fijian island of Viti Levu is where Solem discovered the Ba humbugi along with the inspiration of the name of the genus Ba.
How: How many Ba humbugis are there? Only four that we know of! The four specimens of Ba humbugi Solem studied when he first discovered them are the only Ba humbugi ever seen!
Why: Why are Ba humbugi so hard to spot? They aren't fast, but they are as small as they are slow, slugging around a shell that only grows to 0.09 - 0.13 inches in diameter!
Huh?: What's a mollusk? Mollusks are members of one of the most populated phyla in the animal kingdom. Discover which phylum that is along with which familiar animals are also members in The Screaming Hairy Armadillo.
Wow!: What if Alan Solem and the Ba humbugi are evidence that scientists don't have to be stuffy and that small discoveries can be huge!
Keep getting curious about animals with The Screaming Hairy Armadilloand it's free Educator's Guide!
Thank you for your curiosity, stay curious, and let your curiosity lead your learning with more Curiosity-Based Learning content and activities from What If Curiosity!
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