Trailing the Snail
Endangered snail finds refuge on TWU campus
Brown and loonie-sized in diameter, the Oregon forest snail (Allogona townsendiana) easily goes unnoticed. Living a simple life in the moist forests of southwestern British Columbia, this little gastropod spends its days foraging for food, looking for a mate, and hibernating when the temperature becomes too cold. It is oblivious to the unfolding drama to save it from extinction. As developers destroy damp woodlands to make room for housing complexes, the snail’s habitat lies in peril. Today the Oregon forest snail is at risk, earning a red-listed status provincially, and an endangered species status federally.
However, at TWU a small community of these snails live out their lives safely in the University’s Ecosystem Study Area. With careful vigilance, Karen Steensma, co-director of environmental studies and sessional assistant professor of biology, and her team of researchers attentively study the nesting behaviours, migration patterns, and habitat of this scarce breed of snail. The research has been funded by a grant from the Endangered Species Recovery Fund of the World Wildlife Fund Canada.
Steensma and a total of eight thesis students have been studying the molluscs since 2001, and tracking as many as 18 adult snails for the past three years. The snails are outfitted with tiny diodes and antennas that are glued to the outside of their shells. The researchers then use a portable harmonic range finder, similar to the technology used in avalanche victim recovery, to locate snails and map their habitats.
Says Steensma, “Overall, the data has shown home ranges up to 75 square metres, and has also shown us how the snails use different microhabitats at different times of the year for mating, nesting, foraging, aestivation during summer, and hibernation during winter. This has helped us to formulate management recommendations for habitat conservation in the areas the species has been found, including our own campus.”
An article from the TWU snail team on the life history and habitats of Allogona is currently under review by the international scientific journal Invertebrate Biology.
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