# Faceless cave snail found in China, only three alive 2026-08-10T11:39:08+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Scientists have identified China's first freshwater cave snail, Erhaia dijiang, found deep in a mountain cave in Yuxi City, Yunnan. Only three living adults and an empty shell have been found. The snail has no eyes, almost no colour, and a translucent shell. It is a troglobiont, meaning it is adapted solely for cave life and cannot survive in sunlight. The discovery, published in Subterranean Biology, extends the known range of the Erhaiidae family to 2,062 metres above sea level, the highest recorded for a cave-dwelling member. Researchers are concerned about the species' survival because of the small population and its confinement to one cave system, where any disturbance could eliminate it entirely. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: biodiversity, cave snail, China, freshwater, troglobiont, Yunnan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/faceless-cave-snail-found-in-china-only-three-alive/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/faceless-cave-snail-found-in-china-only-three-alive/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.