At one time these small snails were feared extinct. Now, scientists say, ‘they’re doing absolutely fantastic’

A decade ago, the only known surviving population of Greater Bermuda land snails was discovered in a street in the capital, Hamilton, where they had made a home on a concrete slab in the humidity created by a dripping air conditioner.

Now native creatures are once again seen thriving in the forests.

This is thanks to the work of conservationists who kept them in captivity and released more than 10,000 of them into the archipelago’s protected wild habitats over the past seven years.

“They are doing absolutely fantastic,” said Katie Kelton, who helps breed and care for the snails at Britain’s Chester Zoo. as it happens Host Nil Koksal.

“We have confirmed reproduction… and now the numbers have started to increase, so we can really say that this project has been successful.”

The decade-long effort to save the species from the brink of extinction is a joint effort of Chester Zoo, Canada-based BioLinux Environmental Research and the Government of Bermuda. A study documenting the success of the program will be published in an upcoming edition Oryx, The International Journal of Conservation.

But the fight is not over yet. Snails still face threats from habitat loss and invasive predator species – the same things that have nearly wiped them off the face of the planet.

Vital to the ecosystem, and ‘really cute’

Greater Bermuda land snails, or P. bermudensisOnly the size of a button or a quarter, but they play a huge role in the ecosystem of Bermuda, the only place in the world where they are found.

They act as decomposers, breaking down leaf litter on the ground and returning nutrients to the soil. Their shells are also a source of calcium for their natural predators, such as native birds and reptiles, which, in turn, use that calcium to lay stronger eggs.

Plus, Kelton says, “They’re really cute and beautiful.”

“They have all these beautiful patterns,” said Kelton, an invertebrate keeper at Chester Zoo. “To be honest, I’m a little obsessed with them.”

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list P. bermudensis As critically endangered.

They were driven to the brink of extinction due to human intrusion into their habitat, and with it the arrival of invasive predator species, including rats, wild domestic chickens, flatworms that roam potted plants, and several species of snails, one of which was introduced to the island to kill a different invasive snail that threatened crops.

The IUCN praised their successful reintroduction last week during its Reverse the Red Day, which celebrates efforts to reduce biodiversity loss.

“We are excited to celebrate this win,” Michael Clifford, strategy director at Reverse the Raid, said in a statement.

This was no easy feat, Kelton says. When the captive-breeding team first found the snails, they knew very little about them. They had to make many changes to their diet, temperature and environment before they found suitable conditions for reproduction.

“We’re a team of people who are passionate about snails, we’re passionate about invertebrates, and we’re really passionate about conservation,” she said. “It’s definitely been a labor of love.”

Back in the woods, but not out of the woods

Timothy Pierce, curator of mollusks at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, says this kind of research is important for developing protocols for other captive-breeding and re-wilding programs, including the one he’s working with native snails.

While he says he’s glad the team has successfully reintroduced the snails back into the wild, he cautions that their long-term survival is not guaranteed.

“I’m glad to hear that reintroduced native snails are in protected areas, but how long will they remain safe?” Said Pearce, who was not involved in the Bermuda snail research.

“I’m curious to know if they can keep predators away, so it would be a permanent solution.”

In fact, not all newly-wild snails fared well.

Over the past seven years, scientists gradually released them in 27 different locations across the archipelago. People failed to gain a foothold on the main island sites, possibly because there were more people, and more hunters.

But reintroductions to six offshore islands have been successful, with the snails reproducing for several generations, expanding their territory, and integrating themselves back into the local ecosystem.

They are doing particularly well at their first reintroduction site, Nonsuch Island. 16 acres The nature reserve is what Bermuda’s Senior Biodiversity Officer Mark Outerbridge calls “a living museum of pre-colonial Bermuda”.

“Nonsuch is home to many of our rarest and most endangered flora and fauna and is the subject of regular conservation management,” Outerbridge said in an email. “Public access is limited and non-native species are consistently controlled to minimize human impact.”

Bermuda offers birth control to some aggressive predators, Outerbridge said. For others, they have launched awareness campaigns to educate landowners how to avoid accidentally introducing non-native species into areas where the snails have taken up residence.

“Keeping re-established colonies safe will require continued effort,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kelton says she’s honored to play a role in saving the snails she loves.

“Many people don’t care about snails and actually ignore them,” he said. “But we really wanted to make sure we could give this species a chance.”