"Now, these are not your average garden snails. They're larger, up to 4 inches long. They've got dark, glistening bodies and shiny shells that coil into a golden point. RUBY BENNETT: Shiny. Shiny and beautiful. JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: That is Ruby Bennett, biodiversity ranger for New Zealand's Department of Conservation. She says these snails are also carnivorous. And they put on quite a show when they eat a worm."
"In fact, the snails' eating habits are crucial to their role in regulating the New Zealand ecosystem. But the real problem is what's eating the snails. Invasive predators - like possums, rats and pigs - have learned to slurp up those snails. SUMMERS: So New Zealand has been working to eradicate the non-native predators with toxic bait. Then rangers like Bennett conduct a regular snail census to see how it's working."
Giant snails on New Zealand's North Island grow up to four inches, have dark glistening bodies and golden-coiled shells, and feed carnivorously on worms. Invasive predators such as possums, rats and pigs prey heavily on the snails, driving declines where predators remain uncontrolled. New Zealand applies toxic bait to reduce non-native predator numbers and conducts regular hands-on snail censuses by searching leaf litter on hands and knees. Census results show sharp declines in untreated areas and stable populations in treated zones. The project supports a national aim to eliminate most invasive predators by 2050 and represents a large-scale conservation effort.
Read at www.npr.org
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