Rare meat-eating snail find
A giant meat-eating snail has been found in a Marlborough Sounds bay for the first time in decades.
A group of Outward Bound students stumbled across the powelliphanta snail, dubbed the Sumo wrestler of the snail world, last week while camping at Endeavour Inlet.
It was stuck inside their camping gear and locals say it is the first time a live powelliphanta, which can grow to 9 centimetres long, has been seen in the bay for two generations.
A group of zoology students from Michigan State University even flew out to Marlborough earlier this year to look for the worm-eating snail, but could find no trace of the protected species.
Powelliphanta, endemic to New Zealand, are mainly found in the moist native bush of northwest Nelson and north Westland, but are rarely seen in the Sounds.
According to the Department of Conservation website, powelliphanta suck up earthworms through their mouths ‘‘like strings of spaghetti’’. They have a lifespan of 20 years, but are under serious threat from predators.
Students on the Outward Bound course handed the snail over to DOC staff, who went back to the spot to investigate.
And, as luck would have it, they found another one close to where the first was found.
DOC ranger Wendy Sullivan said the double discovery was good news for the species in Endeavour Inlet.
‘‘It gives us hope and that’s brilliant,’’ she said.
‘‘While it was an unusual way of confirming a snail population, DOC and the Endeavour Inlet community are absolutely delighted we now have evidence that this powelliphanta sub- species still exists in this area.’’
Endeavour Inlet Conservation Trust member Mathea Roorda said locals had previously found shells in the area, but live snails had not been seen for many years.
‘‘In living memory, we found shells on Mt Furneaux/ Puhikereru but we haven’t found any live snails.
‘‘People here, who have parents and grandparents who live here or have holiday homes . . . they’ve collected shells but they’ve never seen a live one.’’
The trust planned to set traps in the area to keep the snails safe from predators, such as rats, Roorda said.
However, she warned the discovery did not necessarily mean a powelliphanta comeback just yet.
‘‘But it tells us that it’s still there and we need to do something to protect the rest of them and see if we can increase their number,’’ she said.