Whether their simple shells are sturdy enough to sustain a head-on collision is still not known, thanks to some snail-paced defensive driving on the part of one participant.
As seen in the photo below, the competing mud whelks (intertidal residents who nibble on tiny sea life) came close to colliding as the snail in the lead was overtaken by the challenger. Considered a "near miss" by race officials, inch-long whelks came within six inches of one another.
Fans are praising the winner, who was able to avoid smashing into his rival by altering his course over the span of five minutes.
