Latest news with #PowelliphantaAugusta
CBC
16-05-2025
- Science
- CBC
Researchers egg-static to capture 1st footage of this rare snail spawning from its neck
After a dozen years dedicated to studying a rare species of carnivorous snail, Lisa Flanagan was thrilled to finally film the moment that, until recently, had been shrouded in mystery. Flanagan, a ranger at the New Zealand Department of Conservation, was weighing a Powelliphanta augusta snail when she saw what looked like a tiny hen's egg emerging from a small opening beneath its head. "It was just one of those things that was just a fluke," Flanagan told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "He happened to be laying the egg at that time." Powelliphanta augusta snails take eight years to reach sexual maturity, after which they lay about five eggs a year, through an opening in their neck. But, despite almost two decades of caring for the critters in chilled containers at a facility in Hokitika, N.Z., staff had never witnessed this unfold until that fateful moment on May 7. The whole thing took just under one minute, Flanagan says. N.Z. carnivorous snail filmed for 1st time laying an egg from its neck 4 hours ago Duration 1:03 The footage, she says, confirms certain details about these snails' reproductive cycle, while prompting new ones for those who work with the creatures. In the clip, as the egg emerges, a baffled Flanagan can be heard saying to her colleague: "I wonder if it hurts." Meet one of the world's largest carnivorous snails The dozens of species and subspecies of Powelliphanta snails are only found in New Zealand, mostly in rugged forest and grassland settings, where they are threatened by habitat loss. At roughly nine centimetres in length, the Powelliphanta augusta is one of the largest carnivorous snails in the world, known to slurp up earthworms like noodles. Even observing their eating habits has been a rarity for Flanagan. Although they are fed monthly, in the 12 years of looking after these snails, she and her colleagues had only seen them gulp a worm three or four times. The Powelliphanta augusta was the centre of public uproar and legal proceedings in the early 2000s, when coal mining company Solid Energy threatened to destroy the snails' only habitat on the Mount Augustus ridge line. Some 4,000 were removed from the site and relocated, while 2,000 more were housed in chilled storage in the West Coast town of Hokitika to ensure the preservation of the species, which is slow to breed and doesn't adapt well to new habitats. In 2011, some 800 of the snails accidentally died in a Department of Conservation refrigerator with faulty temperature control. But the species' slow survival continues: In March this year, there were nearly 1,900 snails and nearly 2,200 eggs in captivity, the conservation agency said. Why the neck? While reproducing from the side of the neck may seem odd, it is, in fact, par for the course for snails. That's because they are encased in protective shells that allow them to retreat from predators and poor weather conditions. This evolutionary trait, however, can also cause complications, like how to mate with other snails and successfully reproduce, says Kath Walker, the N.Z. Department of Conservation's senior science advisor,. "Powelliphanta have solved this by having an opening (a genital pore) on the right side of their body just below their head," Walker said in a press release. Like other snails, Powelliphanta augusta are hermaphrodites. So, in order to mate, the invertebrate uses the genital pore to simultaneously exchange sperm with another snail, which is stored until each creates an egg. "The snail only needs to peek out of its shell to do the business," Walker said. While most snails lay eggs, some reproduce through live birth — also via their neck. Last July, the Campbell keeled glass-snail was captured on video as birthing offspring at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. The video shows a mini snail — shell, tentacles, and all — slipping out of its parent's neck. Flanagan said that it is common for Powelliphanta augusta snail eggs to take, on average, 400 days to hatch. When the day finally arrives, she said it "just hatches out as a little tiny wee snail." She says she hopes her own video out of Hokitika shows others how amazing these snails are. "People sort of tend to think it's not like, you know, a fluffy little kiwi or a penguin or something like that. It's just a snail. But no, they're there for a reason," she said.
BreakingNews.ie
09-05-2025
- Science
- BreakingNews.ie
Rare snail filmed for the first time laying an egg from its neck
Scientists have captured footage of the reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous snail from New Zealand for the first time, shedding light on a process once shrouded in mystery. Images show the snail laying an egg from its neck, the country's conservation agency said. Advertisement What looks like a tiny hen's egg is seen emerging from an opening below the head of the Powelliphanta augusta snail, a threatened species endemic to New Zealand. The video was taken at a facility on the South Island's West Coast, where conservation rangers attempting to save the species from extinction have cared for a population of the snails in chilled containers for nearly two decades. The conditions in the containers mimic the alpine weather in their only former habitat – a remote mountain they were named after, on the West Coast of the South Island, that has been engulfed by mining. Lisa Flanagan from New Zealand's department of conservation, who has worked with the creatures for 12 years, said the species still holds surprises. Advertisement '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,' she said in a statement. Like other snails, Powelliphanta augusta are hermaphrodites, which explains how the creatures can reproduce when encased in a hard shell. The invertebrate uses a genital pore on the right side of its body, just below the head, to simultaneously exchange sperm with another snail, which is stored until each creates an egg. Each snail takes eight years to reach sexual maturity, after which it lays about five eggs a year. The egg can take more than a year to hatch. Advertisement 'Some of our captive snails are between 25 and 30 years old,' said Ms Flanagan. '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.' The dozens of species and subspecies of Powelliphanta snails are only found in New Zealand, mostly in rugged forest and grassland settings where they are threatened by habitat loss. They are carnivores that slurp up earthworms like noodles, and are some of the world's largest snails, with oversized, distinctive shells in a range of rich earth colours and swirling patterns. The Powelliphanta augusta was the centre of public uproar and legal proceedings in the early 2000s, when an energy company's plans to mine for coal threatened to destroy the snails' habitat. Advertisement Some 4,000 were removed from the site and relocated, while 2,000 more were housed in chilled storage in the West Coast town of Hokitika to ensure the preservation of the species, which is slow to breed and does not adapt well to new habitats. In 2011, some 800 of the snails accidentally died in a department of conservation refrigerator with faulty temperature control. But the species' slow survival continues. In March this year, there were nearly 1,900 snails and nearly 2,200 eggs in captivity, the conservation agency said.
South China Morning Post
09-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Rare New Zealand snail caught on camera laying egg from its neck for the first time
The strange reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous New Zealand snail were once shrouded in mystery. Now footage of the snail laying an egg from its neck has been captured for the first time, the country's conservation agency said on Wednesday. Advertisement What looks like a tiny hen's egg is seen emerging from an opening below the head of the Powelliphanta augusta snail, a threatened species endemic to New Zealand. The video was taken at a facility on the South Island's West Coast, where conservation rangers attempting to save the species from extinction have cared for a population of the snails in chilled containers for nearly two decades. The conditions in the containers mimic the alpine weather in their only former habitat – a remote mountain they were named for, on the West Coast of the South Island, that has been engulfed by mining. Lisa Flanagan from the Department of Conservation, who has worked with the creatures for 12 years, said the species still holds surprises. An egg laid by a Mount Augustus snail through its neck in Hokitika, New Zealand. Photo: New Zealand Department of Conservation/AFP '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,' she said in a statement.
Arab News
09-05-2025
- Science
- Arab News
Rare New Zealand snail is filmed for the first time laying an egg from its neck
WELLINGTON: The strange reproductive habits of a large, carnivorous New Zealand snail were once shrouded in mystery. Now footage of the snail laying an egg from its neck has been captured for the first time, the country's conservation agency said Wednesday. What looks like a tiny hen's egg is seen emerging from an opening below the head of the Powelliphanta augusta snail, a threatened species endemic to New Zealand. The video was taken at a facility on the South Island's West Coast, where conservation rangers attempting to save the species from extinction have cared for a population of the snails in chilled containers for nearly two decades. The conditions in the containers mimic the alpine weather in their only former habitat — a remote mountain they were named for, on the West Coast of the South Island, that has been engulfed by mining. Observing their habits Lisa Flanagan from the Department of Conservation, who has worked with the creatures for 12 years, said the species still holds surprises. '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,' she said in a statement. Like other snails, Powelliphanta augusta are hermaphrodites, which explains how the creatures can reproduce when encased in a hard shell. The invertebrate uses a genital pore on the right side of its body, just below the head, to simultaneously exchange sperm with another snail, which is stored until each creates an egg. A long but slow reproductive life Each snail takes eight years to reach sexual maturity, after which it lays about five eggs a year. The egg can take more than a year to hatch. 'Some of our captive snails are between 25 and 30 years old,' said Flanagan. '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.' The dozens of species and subspecies of Powelliphanta snails are only found in New Zealand, mostly in rugged forest and grassland settings where they are threatened by habitat loss. They are carnivores that slurp up earthworms like noodles, and are some of the world's largest snails , with oversized, distinctive shells in a range of rich earth colors and swirling patterns. A political storm The Powelliphanta augusta was the center of public uproar and legal proceedings in the early 2000s, when an energy company's plans to mine for coal threatened to destroy the snails' habitat. Some 4,000 were removed from the site and relocated, while 2,000 more were housed in chilled storage in the West Coast town of Hokitika to ensure the preservation of the species, which is slow to breed and doesn't adapt well to new habitats. In 2011, some 800 of the snails accidentally died in a Department of Conservation refrigerator with faulty temperature control. But the species' slow survival continues: In March this year, there were nearly 1,900 snails and nearly 2,200 eggs in captivity, the conservation agency said.
Gizmodo
08-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Feels Like That Should Hurt: Scientists Capture Rare Snail Laying Egg Through Neck Hole
The miracle of life can be majestic at times. Other times, it's an incredibly rare snail in New Zealand having kids out of its neck hole. In a first, officials at New Zealand's Department of Conservation have documented a Powelliphanta augusta snail laying its eggs. The carnivorous land snails are known for their unique method of mating and reproduction, which involves a 'genital pore' just below their head. This latest egg-laying feat is all the more important given that the slimy animals were almost completely wiped out of existence. P. augusta is also called the Mount Augustus snail, named after the only known habitat on New Zealand's South Island where they were once natively found. About 20 years ago, a coal mining operation in the area began to decimate its environment, and conservationists scrambled to save as many snails as they could to be raised in captivity. DOC officials based in the nearby town of Hokitika have been raising their own captive population of Mount Augustus snails since 2006. But they've only now been able to see—and capture live—the snails' egg-laying up close and personal. DOC has posted a video of the snail's egg-laying on its YouTube account. '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,' said ranger Lisa Flanagan in a statement released by the DOC on Wednesday. '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.' Most land snails are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female sexual organs. This allows them to reproduce with any other member of the species, or even to self-fertilize if needed, though the latter usually results in less viable offspring. Mount Augustus snails in particular carry out their mating with the help of a genital pore along their neck. This same opening is also where the snail's eggs will emerge from. '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 fertilize the sperm they've received to create eggs,' Flanagan explained. P. augusta snails mature relatively slowly, taking about eight years before they can start laying eggs. And even then, they only lay about five eggs a year, which can take another year to hatch. So compared to other snails, including invasive species threatening New Zealand, it's been harder to ensure their continued survival. But the DOC has been able to breed them in captivity and they've started to reintroduce new populations to the wild with some success. Until these efforts are firmly self-sustaining, however, the DOC will hold onto its houseguests, which can live up to 30 years in captivity. And with any luck, they'll continue to learn more about these weird but plucky creatures. 'I just love watching their progress each month, weighing them, how their shells develop, and all the interesting things they do,' said Flanagan.
