Latest news with #KathWalker
Kuwait Times
22-05-2025
- Science
- Kuwait Times
What the shell: Scientists marvel as NZ snail lays egg from neck
A Mount Augustus snail laying an egg through its neck in Hokitika, New Zealand. A rare New Zealand snail has been filmed for the first time squeezing an egg from its neck, delighting scientists trying to save the critically endangered meat-eating mollusc. Threatened by coal mining in New Zealand's South Island, a small population of the Mount Augustus snail was transplanted from its forest habitat almost 20 years ago to live in chilled containers tended by humans. Little is known about the reproduction of the shellbound critters, which can grow so large that New Zealand's conservation department calls them 'giants of the snail world'. A conservation ranger said she was gobsmacked to witness a captive snail laying an egg from its neck -- a reproductive act well documented in other land snails but never filmed for this species. 'It's remarkable that in all the time we've spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we've seen one lay an egg,' conservation ranger Lisa Flanagan said this week. An egg laid by a Mount Augustus snail through its neck in Hokitika, New Zealand. A Mount Augustus snail laying an egg through its neck in Hokitika, New Zealand. An egg laid by a Mount Augustus snail through its neck in Hokitika, New Zealand. 'We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail.' Conservation department scientist Kath Walker said hard shells made it difficult to mate -- so some snails instead evolved a special 'genital pore' under their head. The Mount Augustus snail 'only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business,' she said. The long-lived snails can grow to the size of a golf ball and their eggs can take more than a year to hatch. They eat earthworms, according to New Zealand's conservation department, which they slurp up 'like we eat spaghetti'. Conservation efforts suffered a drastic setback in 2011, when a faulty temperature gauge froze 800 Mount Augustus snails to death inside their climate-controlled containers. Fewer than 2,000 snails currently live in captivity, while small populations have been re-established in the New Zealand wild.--AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-05-2025
- Science
- Asharq Al-Awsat
What the Shell: Scientists Marvel as NZ Snail Lays Egg from Neck
A rare New Zealand snail has been filmed for the first time squeezing an egg from its neck, delighting scientists trying to save the critically endangered meat-eating mollusk. Threatened by coal mining in New Zealand's South Island, a small population of the Mount Augustus snail was transplanted from its forest habitat almost 20 years ago to live in chilled containers tended by humans. Little is known about the reproduction of the shellbound critters, which can grow so large that New Zealand's conservation department calls them "giants of the snail world". A conservation ranger said she was gobsmacked to witness a captive snail laying an egg from its neck -- a reproductive act well documented in other land snails but never filmed for this species. "It's remarkable that in all the time we've spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we've seen one lay an egg," conservation ranger Lisa Flanagan said this week. "We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail." Conservation department scientist Kath Walker said hard shells made it difficult to mate -- so some snails instead evolved a special "genital pore" under their head. The Mount Augustus snail "only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business," she said. The long-lived snails can grow to the size of a golf ball and their eggs can take more than a year to hatch. They eat earthworms, according to New Zealand's conservation department, which they slurp up "like we eat spaghetti". Conservation efforts suffered a drastic setback in 2011, when a faulty temperature gauge froze 800 Mount Augustus snails to death inside their climate-controlled containers. Fewer than 2,000 snails currently live in captivity, while small populations have been re-established in the New Zealand wild.
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Rare moment caught on camera: Snail lays eggs through its neck in viral video
An extremely rare moment was caught on camera of a snail laying an egg from its neck. The moment was recorded by an employee of New Zealand's Department of Conservation. The organisation shared a Facebook video showing the fascinating reproduction of the large carnivorous snail, Powelliphanta augusta. A snail laying an egg through its neck. (Facebook/@Department of Conservation) 'DOC has been managing this captive population in chilled containers in Hokitika since 2006, when work began to mine the majority of their habitat on the West Coast of the South Island,' DOC wrote, while posting the video. 'The captive management of Powelliphanta augusta has not only saved the species from extinction, but it's allowed us to learn more about the lives of these incredible creatures found nowhere else in the world,' it added. Take a look at the video of a snail laying an egg: 'It's remarkable that in all the time we've spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we've seen one lay an egg. We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail,' said DOC Ranger Lisa Flanagan, who also filmed the creature, in a statement. How do snails mate and lay eggs? 'Powelliphanta have solved this by having an opening (a genital pore) on the right side of their body just below their head so that the snail only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business,' said DOC Senior Science Advisor Kath Walker. Also Read: Snake mistaken as male gives birth to 14 snakelets in rare incident: 'Virgin birth' '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 continued. 'As hermaphrodites, they have both male and female genitalia, so although they usually mate with another to cross fertilise their eggs, as carnivores which have to live at relatively low density, being able to occasionally self-fertilise must help with survival of the species,' the senior science advisor added. About the snails at DOC: Flanagan explained, 'Powelliphanta augusta are slow growing and long lived, not being sexually mature until they are about 8 years old and then laying only around 5 big eggs annually which can take more than a year to hatch. Some of our captive snails are between 25 and 30 years old – in this they're polar opposites to the pest garden snail we introduced to New Zealand which is like a weed, with thousands of offspring each year and a short life.' DOC has also reintroduced new populations of these snails in the wild. They are working to create a sustainable population of the species in the wild.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What the shell: scientists marvel as NZ snail lays egg from neck
A rare New Zealand snail has been filmed for the first time squeezing an egg from its neck, delighting scientists trying to save the critically endangered meat-eating mollusc. Threatened by coal mining in New Zealand's South Island, a small population of the Mount Augustus snail was transplanted from its forest habitat almost 20 years ago to live in chilled containers tended by humans. Little is known about the reproduction of the shellbound critters, which can grow so large that New Zealand's conservation department calls them "giants of the snail world". A conservation ranger said she was gobsmacked to witness a captive snail laying an egg from its neck -- a reproductive act well documented in other land snails but never filmed for this species. "It's remarkable that in all the time we've spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we've seen one lay an egg," conservation ranger Lisa Flanagan said this week. "We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail." Conservation department scientist Kath Walker said hard shells made it difficult to mate -- so some snails instead evolved a special "genital pore" under their head. The Mount Augustus snail "only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business," she said. The long-lived snails can grow to the size of a golf ball and their eggs can take more than a year to hatch. They eat earthworms, according to New Zealand's conservation department, which they slurp up "like we eat spaghetti". Conservation efforts suffered a drastic setback in 2011, when a faulty temperature gauge froze 800 Mount Augustus snails to death inside their climate-controlled containers. Fewer than 2,000 snails currently live in captivity, while small populations have been re-established in the New Zealand wild. sft/djw/dhw
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
What the shell: scientists marvel as New Zealand snail lays egg from neck
Small populations of the Mount Augustus snail have been re-established in the New Zealand wild. PHOTO: AFP What the shell: scientists marvel as New Zealand snail lays egg from neck SYDNEY - A rare New Zealand snail has been filmed for the first time squeezing an egg from its neck, delighting scientists trying to save the critically endangered meat-eating mollusc. Threatened by coal mining in New Zealand's South Island, a small population of the Mount Augustus snail was transplanted from its forest habitat almost 20 years ago to live in chilled containers tended by humans. Little is known about the reproduction of the shell-bound critters, which can grow so large that New Zealand's conservation department calls them 'giants of the snail world'. A conservation ranger said she was gobsmacked to witness a captive snail laying an egg from its neck – a reproductive act well documented in other land snails but never filmed for this species. 'It's remarkable that in all the time we've spent caring for the snails, this is the first time we've seen one lay an egg,' conservation ranger Lisa Flanagan said this week. 'We caught the action when we were weighing the snail. We turned it over to be weighed and saw the egg just starting to emerge from the snail.' Conservation department scientist Kath Walker said hard shells made it difficult to mate – so some snails instead evolved a special 'genital pore' under their head. The Mount Augustus snail 'only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business,' she said. The long-lived snails can grow to the size of a golf ball and their eggs can take more than a year to hatch. They eat earthworms, according to New Zealand's conservation department, which they slurp up 'like we eat spaghetti'. Conservation efforts suffered a drastic setback in 2011, when a faulty temperature gauge froze 800 Mount Augustus snails to death inside their climate-controlled containers. Fewer than 2,000 snails currently live in captivity, while small populations have been re-established in the New Zealand wild. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
