Hercules the Snail: The Winner in a Crawl
A snail set what is claimed to be a long-distance record for dragging a stone over a flat surface Saturday.
Hercules, owned by 8-year-old Miren Castanos, smashed the previous Spanish record when it hauled an 8 1/2-ounce stone a total of 16 3/4 inches in a 10-minute time trial, organizers of the contest said.
Seventy-nine snails, each of them attached by a piece of string to a flat stone, took part in the annual competition in this village in northern Spain’s Basque region.
Many of the snails were disqualified after heading off in the wrong direction or slithering onto the stones instead of pulling them.
Others failed to come out of their shells.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
