Researchers Delighted to Capture Rare Snail Threatened Species Laying an Egg From Its Neck for the First Time
First-of-its-kind footage of a rare carnivorous snail from New Zealand recently left viewers stunned. The snail, which is being monitored by the Department of Conservation, has been on the brink of extinction for a long time, stated CBS News. Recently, a camera captured one of the snail subjects laying an egg in a surprising way.
The footage showcased Powelliphanta augusta laying eggs through its neck. This phenomenon not only stood apart to researchers because of its uniqueness, but also because the reproduction tactics of this species were shrouded in considerable mystery before the video. The footage was captured inside a facility on the South Island's West Coast. For nearly two decades, New Zealand's Department of Conservation has been caring for the population of this species by storing them in a container mimicking their suitable conditions.
Officials were conducting a routine weight check when they witnessed one of their snails at Mount Augustus laying an egg, according to The Guardian. The team decided to capture it on camera. Department's regional biodiversity liaison, Ingrid Gruner, labelled the whole thing "quite remarkable." Capturing the moment was important because, in so many years, officials never got the chance to encounter this creature laying eggs.
The video shows a single white egg emerging from the subject's slimy neck folds, according to Live Science. Mount Augistus snails are hermaphrodites, meaning that each specimen has both male and female reproductive organs. They also likely can self-fertilize. The rarity of this species, along with them being nocturnal, has made it difficult for experts to figure out their life cycles. Researchers are hopeful that footage like this will help them understand the magnificent creatures better.
Before the DOC started the captivity programme, little was known about these snails, stated The Guardian. Powelliphanta land snails are one of the largest snails in the world, and are endemic to New Zealand. Their exact life span is unknown, but they appear to be slow-growing and can live for decades. Some of the subjects being monitored by DOC are around 25 to 35 years old. The creatures' diet mainly consists of slugs and earthworms.
Kath Walker, the department’s senior science adviser, shared that these hermaphrodite snails have a genital opening on their neck. Experts believe that this opening allows the creature to stay inside its shell for mating and laying eggs. "It extends its penis out of this pore and into its mate’s pore, and its mate does the same, simultaneously exchanging sperm, which they can store until they each fertilise the sperm they’ve received to create eggs," Walker explained.
The department began its captivity program in 2006, after the creature's last remaining habitat in the Mt Augustus ridge line, near Westport, became the mining site of Solid Energy. The project generated a lot of uproar, but ultimately, the government signed off on it. DOC transferred around 4,000 snails from the area and collected 2,000 more from other places to create a captive colony.
Subjects from different habitats were put in captivity together to increase the genetic diversity of the species, and also because there was a possibility that all subjects from the same habitat might not adapt to changed conditions. Inclusion of subjects from other habitats would have allowed the project to continue even if the Mt. Augustus ridge line specimens expired. In March, DOC updated that 1,884 snails had gone from being hatchlings into adults in captivity.