Race to rescue London's rare hairy snail

"Getty Conservationists and citizen scientists have joined forces for a project to save London's "charming little" ice-age hairy snail. Named the German hairy snail because of tiny hairs that cover its shell and because it is believed to originally come from the continent, the rare species is one of the UK's most endangered molluscs. The finger-sized animal (Pseudotrichia rubiginosa) can be found only in small, fragmented patches of its historic damp riverside habitat along the River Thames."

"Although first recorded in the UK in 1982, fossilised remains indicate that the German hairy snail has called the UK home since at least the Stone Age - and potentially even as far back at the last Ice Age, when Britain was still joined to mainland Europe. During this period, the Thames was still connected to the Rhine - Germany's longest river - which today empties into the North Sea."

"The team, led by Citizen Zoo and Zoological Society of London (ZSL), has started a series of surveys to better understand the species' distribution across the capital and inform conservation action. Taking place over the last couple of months, the team has been searching and identifying species at both known and potential river sites in boroughs such as Newham, Richmond upon Thames and Barnet."

Getty Conservationists and citizen scientists, led by Citizen Zoo and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), are surveying London riverbanks to map the distribution of the German hairy snail (Pseudotrichia rubiginosa). The finger-sized snail occupies fragmented damp riverside patches along the River Thames and is among the UK's most endangered molluscs. Surveys in boroughs including Newham, Richmond upon Thames and Barnet aim to identify current sites and potential habitats. Conservation actions under consideration include habitat restoration, pollution management and careful translocation between sites to boost populations. Fossil evidence shows the species has inhabited Britain since at least the Stone Age, linked historically to the Rhine-Thames connection.

Read at www.bbc.com