US EditionA rare New Zealand snail is filmed for the first time laying an egg from its neck
- A threatened Powelliphanta augusta snail was recorded laying an egg from its neck on September 18, 2024, at a conservation center in Hokitika on New Zealand’s South Island.
- Since 2006, conservation rangers have maintained a captive population of these snails in refrigerated conditions following habitat destruction caused by mining, initially relocating 4,000 snails and placing another 2,000 into managed storage.
- These snails require around eight years before they become capable of reproduction, produce approximately five eggs annually, and experience a lengthy incubation period exceeding a year, which results in a slow reproductive rate and uncertain survival chances.
- Lisa Flanagan, a Department of Conservation ranger with 12 years of experience, noted that despite their long-term care of the snails, this was the first occasion they observed one laying an egg.
- The footage reveals rare reproductive behavior and highlights ongoing conservation challenges due to the species' slow breeding and limited habitat adaptability.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Rare New Zealand snail caught on camera laying egg through its neck
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 May 7. What looks like a tiny hen’s egg is seen emerging from an opening...
Watch a snail lay an egg...from its neck
New Zealand is no stranger to unique flora and fauna, and that includes the land snail Powelliphanta augusta. These rare hermaphroditic snails are only found in New Zealand and much of their lives has remained a mystery. But now, we know how they lay their eggs–and it’s through their necks. In a video from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC), a small egg that looks a bit like a hen’s egg pops out of its neck. The footage was captured…
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