The Great Snail Hunt! They live in those dank dark shaded places and there's more to them that you ever imagined. What can you find out about geology from snails? What species is an indicator of climate change? Which snails are alien invaders? Can you find one of Britain's rarest snails? Snails can be found anywhere in the UK. In the Great Snail Hunt you'll be looking for nine different types of snails that may help answer these questions. You can do the hunt anywhere, anytime. It just takes ten minutes to do. Then do the online Snail Census and let us know what you've found. Snail Ecology – Do you know the shocking private life of your neighbours? Did you know the shocking private life of your neighbours? Who would have thought that hermaphroditic snails fire love darts into each other before mating? Snails are hermaphrodites, they have both male and female sex organs. A successful mating strategy for males is to mate with lots of females, and for a female, it's important to be choosy. The snail's female reproductive parts contain an organ, the bursa copulatrix, that eliminates a large proportion of all sperm transferred from other mates before it can be stored ready for fertilization. When they mate, snails line up beside each other and extend their sex organs from an opening near their heads. They match up their male and female parts and spear each other with a mucus-covered love dart. This dart contains a chemical that deactivates the recipient's bursa copulatrix, that otherwise would consume most of the injected sperm. With this anti-sperm organ incapacitated, the sperm has a higher chance of fertilising the recipient snail's eggs. Sperm competition has become a very popular topic for animal/insect researchers in the past 10 years. Snails have whorls that are either left or right-handed. The complex lining up of sexual organs needed during mating means that it's very difficult for a left-handed (sinistral) snail to mate with a right-handed (dextral) one. That may be why entire species are left or right-handed and it's very rare to see an individual with the 'wrong' type of shell for that species. Most snails lay between 20 to 200 small round transparent eggs in a clutch in damp soil or under rotting wood. Juveniles hatch out in a few weeks and look like miniature versions of the adults. Most species attain maturity within a year and may die after breeding, although the larger species can take 2-4 years to achieve maturity and live for several years after this. There is a strong link between the distribution of snails and the calcium content of their surroundings. Most species require large amounts of calcium carbonate in the soil so that they can build their shell. Some species live only in areas with limestone rocks, which are high in calcium. But with everything there are some exceptions, there are one or two species that prefer a more acid geology, poor in calcium. Alien Invaders – Are there aliens in your backyard? Are there aliens in your backyard? The fauna of any country changes as foreign species are introduced, others die out and some spread into new areas. Snails that are quite common in your area may actually be alien invaders. Since the last ice age the range of snail species in Britain has changed completely, the arctic-alpine types retreated to mountains and have now mostly died out; whereas species associated with warmer climates, woodland and grassland have arrived. Man has had a major influence on snail populations by completely altering the natural environment, felling the ancient forest and creating parks and gardens that some species thrive in. Some snails in groups such as Clausiliidae may have been badly affected by pollution, particularly acid rain, and appear to be declining as a result of man's recent impact on the environment. In the Great Snail Hunt we particularly want to look out to see how far the introduced species the common garden snail (Helix aspersa), the Roman snail (Helix pomatia) and the alien girdled snail (Hygromia cinctella) have spread. The common garden snail was introduced to Britain many years ago but is continuing to spread in the north of Britain. This contrasts with the Roman snail which, not surprisingly, was introduced by the Romans for food but does not appear to have spread much and indeed is now protected to stop people eating it. The 'alien' girdled snail is a very recent introduction to the British Isles and is spreading rapidly. The National Museum of Wales are particularly interested in this species and its spread, you may want to find out more about the species and take part in their recording scheme on their website at: scan.nmgw.ac.uk/snail.en.shtml Biodiversity – can snails be a health check for our environment? Biodiversity is the rich variety of all life forms: plants, animals and micro-organisms, from their genes to their ecosystems. An ecosystem with a rich variety of plant and animal species therefore has high biodiversity whereas one that contains a few has not. Each year the planet sees a reduction of biodiversity with the destruction of habitats and the extinction of plant and animal species. This trend is irreversible once a species is extinct, the unique biology is lost forever. Biodiversity deals with difference. Different species, differences within species, within families and between individuals. One species of snail, the brown lipped snail (Cepaea nemoralis) has a large range of variation in the shell pattern and this allows us to look at the wide range of differences even within a single species. These differences may have arisen for reasons of camouflage, climate or habitat. Scientists also use certain types of snail as an indicator of the health of an environment, like a “canary in a coal mine”. The health and diversity of these more sensitive snail populations provide a window into the quality of the air, soil and water. Because they move extremely slowly and are vulnerable to environmental changes, such as temperature, water, soil chemistry and weather, they respond quickly when their environment is changed. Understanding the health of these indicator snail populations is a good indication of the health of other species in the environment. There are indicator species in the family Clausiliidae. Do the Hunt! Before you go… There are well over 80 different species of land snails in the British Isles and some of them are rather tricky to tell apart - even for experts! So instead of looking at all of them we are going to concentrate on just nine different types. These have been selected to include some of the commonest species but also groups of species that may show differences related to the underlying rock type and possibly even climate change. First of all download this word file and print it out to take with you on your hunt. When you are out on a walk or in your back garden spend about ten minutes looking for snails and keep a tally of each of the nine types that you find. Snails’ skin is wet and they produce a slime trail when they move which means that keeping damp is very important for them. Bear this in mind when searching, if it’s dry weather then look under stones, pieces of wood or flower pots; but remember to replace these carefully after you have looked as you do not want to damage the environment. The best time to look for snails is shortly after a period of rain. They emerge from hiding places to glide over rocks, tree trunks and other plants and start feeding mainly on algae, fungi and rotting vegetation. Some of the groups of species we are looking for are quite good at hiding and can be fairly well camouflaged even when they are out in the open so you do need to search carefully. To identify snails you have to look mostly at the shape, size and colour of the shell. A snail’s width is defined as the width of the shell. The spire is the part of the shell above the last body whorl. Long, thin shells have a very tall spire, whereas species like the garden snail have a very short one. The whorls of the garlic and heath snails are almost flat. The umbilicus is a hole that’s visible on the underside of some of the species, such as the garlic and heath snail. It is quite distinctive, but you do have to look at the underside of the snail to see it. The umbilicus is a hole that’s visible on the underside of some of the species, such as the garlic and heath snail. It is quite distinctive, but you do have to look at the underside of the snail to see it. Snails can be either left-handed (sinistral) or right-handed (dextral) and you can tell which by positioning the shell upright with the entrance hole facing towards you. The entrance will be either on the left or right side. Long, thin snails can be a bit tricky to decide which side the hole is on. If you’re having problems, take the download out with you and lay the snail on the picture to see which side it matches best. Common garden snail (Helix aspersa). This common snail’s shell is a short, blunt spire shape, with no umbilicus. The basic colour of the shell is a pale brown or occasionally yellow with broad darker bands and a generally mottled surface. Shells can be up to 40mm wide although they are usually only 30mm. Very common and usually easy to find in gardens, occasionally they climb high up on walls. Roman snail (Helix pomatia). The Roman snail's shell is generally spherical with an obvious spire, with very little evidence of an umbilicus. It is cream coloured or very light brown with faint wide bands, usually more than 35mm wide. Roman snails are noticeably larger than any other snails found in the countryside, likely to be found in chalky areas in southern England. Please do not pick these snails up as this rare species has recently been given legal protection in UK to prevent its over-collection for food. It is protected in other countries in Europe. Brown lipped snail (Cepaea nemoralis). The brown lipped snail’s shell has a conical spire and is often somewhat glossy or slightly translucent with thin walls. Shells are pale yellow or slightly pink with a wide variety of different banding patterns. It’s important to note the brown margin to the mouth of the shell, or “brown lip”. Shells are usually 20-24mm wide and they have no umbilicus. This snail is common in many habitats. White lipped snail (Cepaea hortensis). Rather similar to the brown lipped snail, the shell is generally smaller - being only 16-20mm and has a white instead of brown margin or “lip” to the mouth of the shell. It is found in many habitats although it’s probably less common than the brown lipped snail especially in the south of England. Sinistral (left-handed) long thin shells (Clausiliidae family). Shells in this group of species are clearly much longer than wide, 10-20mm long but only about 3-4mm wide. The key characteristic to look out for is the opening of the shell which is on the left-hand side. They are found in various habitats including woodland, sand dunes and limestone rocks. After rain large numbers of these snails can come out to graze on the algae on tree bark but they are fairly well camouflaged so you need to look closely. Dextral long thin shells (various families). The shells of this group are at least twice as long as they are wide. There are a variety of sizes and shapes but all with the opening on the right-hand side. One of the commoner species in this group, the Lesser Bulin (Ena obscura) appears to cover itself with mud or other debris so can be tricky to spot. Some of the other species in this group are rare and restricted to certain types of habitat, for example the Bulin (Ena montana) is more or less only found in ancient woodland. Garlic snail (Oxychilus alliarius). This snail has a small (6mm) pale brown or greenish, glossy, flattened shell with an umbilicus. The snail's body is a dark bluish grey. However its most distinctive feature is a strong smell of garlic when the snail is disturbed. It is common in gardens and woodland. There are a number of similar small brownish glossy snails but this species is the main one with a strong garlic smell so you'll just have to pick it up and have a sniff. Alien girdled snail (Hygromia cinctella). The girdled snail has a brown to yellow shell with a white band most noticeable on the widest part of the shell. The shell is pyramid shaped or almost triangular about 14mm wide and has little evidence of the umbilicus. Found in hedges and gardens. Heath snail (Helicella itala). The heath snail has a chalky white shell with dark spiral bands, and measures about 15mm across. It somewhat resembles the white or brown-lipped snails but is more flattened and has a large umbilicus which the other two species lack. It tends to climb up grasses or bushes so can be visible even in dry weather. Found in a variety of habitats but particularly dry chalk grassland and dunes. This may be one of the 'winners' with global warming as it actually climbs up stems to avoid the hot baked ground. The Mystery of the Brown Lipped Snail. Ecologists have been puzzling for years over why Brown Lipped snails (Cepaea nemoralis) have so many different patterns on the shell. The Zoological Record between 1864 and 1990 lists over 750 published papers on the snails! Why should some be yellow with virtually no bands, while others are brown almost all over, with a multitude of bands and variations in between? Theories as to why include: - Escape from predation by blending in with the background. Darker forms of the snails tend to live in darker habitats and lighter ones in more diverse habitats. One of the main predators, song thrushes, are able to find and eat snails that are not well camouflaged, so the numbers of the ‘wrong’ type of snail pattern for an environment goes down. - Frequency dependent selection. Predators learn what the commonest form of snail looks like and so search for things that look like this. They may then miss snails with a completely different pattern with the result that the commonest form becomes less common and the rarer forms become more common. - Climate related selection. Individuals with darker banding patterns heat up quicker than lighter individuals, this may be an advantage in cooler areas but if they heat up too much they may dry out and die. Lighter banding patterns are sometimes found in areas with warmer microclimates. What we want you to do for the brown lipped snails is to match the shells that you find to the chart and write down how many of each type you find. It is likely that the proportion of the different banding patterns will vary considerably between different parts of the country. Doing Science – Are you a backyard boffin? So you think you're not a scientist? Well think again. If you've taken part in the Great Snail Hunt you've just done some very valuable research. So how do you do science - and just what are we trying to do by counting snails? Science is seen to be unique because it uses the scientific method in its approach to problems. This involves observing something in the world, putting up a hypothesis and then making predictions or thinking up tests that test the validity of that hypothesis. In practice, this can mean very different things. A biologist may approach something completely differently to a geologist, for example. Testing a hypothesis by experimentation isn't the only approach that you can take. Observation alone is often very important – to astronomers, for example, and their work is no less valuable as a result! There are a number of questions about snails that we'd like to know more about, and it's your observations that will help us find the answers. Firstly we think that snails prefer calcium rich and non-acidic soils; so we're expecting to find more snails in chalky areas than in others. There are a number of species we'd like to track - one being the girdled snail (Hygromia cinctella). This Mediterranean species was first spotted in Devon in 1950, and has been slowly moving its way northwards ever since. We want to know the spread of this snail so that we can make predictions about when it will become common all over the UK. The Roman snail was introduced into Britain by the Romans in antiquity. It's the largest terrestrial land snail, with a shell of about 50mm and a body of 90mm in a fully-grown adult. It's also very rare and is a protected species. We'd love to know if you find one, and where! This may help us identify where this rare snail is living in the U.K. and whether additional habitat protection is needed. The common garden snail (Helix aspersa) is also an introduced species, but because it doesn't like cold climates, we're not expecting it to be prevalent in Scotland. But climate change might have changed things - so we'd like to find out. We're also interested in the different varieties of brown lipped snail that you find. The differences in shell pattern are of great interest to scientists especially those studying genetics and evolution - we'd like to know what patterns you find. Snails are also particular about the weather, we want to know if you find more snails when it's wet than when it's dry. We're also interested to know what habitat you find the snails in. Habitat is not only an indication of soil acidity; some snails prefer certain habitats over others Indeed some species only occur in ancient habitats such as ancient woodlands that have been around for 400 years or more and prove that these areas are irreplaceable . We'd like to know which snails prefer which habitats. So as you can see one study can provide a great deal of information to science, and by answering some of these questions we can make predictions about many aspects of snail behaviour. What Next? What can you do to help your environment? Well you might think that doing a simple thing such as counting snails isn't going to change the world - but if you've done the Great Snail Hunt you've already done a little bit by contributing to science. But there is more that you can do, not only for science but also for our environment. Create an ecologically friendly garden: Gardens are a rich habitat for wildlife and biodiversity. You don't have to turn your garden into a jungle to create a rich environment for native fauna. Wild about Gardens http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/ gives you tips on how to create a wild garden. How to Garden for Wildlife http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/wildinyourgarden/gardens/fswg_garden.shtml is a site on bbc.co.uk/nature that outlines help and advice. You can do some organic gardening, with help from the team of professionals from BBC gardening at http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/organic_index.shtml. Or you can make Space for Nature at http://www.wildlife-gardening.org.uk/ Find out more about permaculture at http://www.permaculture.org.uk/pcasite/ and think about gardening in a different way. Become an amateur naturalist: If you have been inspired by the survey why don’t you go out and do more biological recording? You would be joining a long and distinguished band of 'amateur naturalists' (some of whom are more expert than the professionals!). Records collected by these amateurs over the past 150 years form the backbone of all species recording in this country. Amateurs have allowed Britain to lead the world in showing how climate change, pollution and many other factors have affected plants and animals. If you are interested in biological recording then some of the organisations that co-ordinate the species are : Snails and slugs: Conchological society http://www.conchsoc.org/ Plants: BSBI (Botanical Society of the British Isles) http://www.bsbi.org.uk/ Birds: BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) http://www.bto.org/ Mammals: Mammal society http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/ Fungi: British mycological society http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/ Butterflies: http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/ Dragonflies: the British dragonfly society http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/ Reduce your impact on the planet We only have one planet, but many of us live as if we have two or three! In the West we consume more resources and have a greater impact on the planet than it can sustain. We need to learn to live more modestly, recycle more and think about the amount of resources we use. It's all about the choices http://www.open2.net/choices/ that we make on how to live our lives. Calculate your environmental footprint. http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp Are you a good sort? Find out more about recycling. http://www.open2.net/environment/sort.htm Save energy around your house. http://www.open2.net/environment/energy_house.htm How Green Are You? Check out your green credentials.http://www.open2.net/environment/quiz.htm In My Backyard http://www.open2.net/environment/backyard.htm Get active! Join an environmental group or volunteer some of your time to save the planet. It can be a group in your local area, or one with a more international focus. Here's just a few that may interest you. Wildlife Trusts: http://www.wildlifetrusts.org Thames Explorer Trust:http://www.thames-explorer.org.uk/ WWF: http://www.panda.org/ Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/ Friends of the Earth:http://www.foe.co.uk/The National Trust: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/ RSPB: http://www.rspb.org.uk Study Take your interest further with a course from the OU Dr Mike Dodd Research Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences, co-creator of the Great Snail Hunt. I have always been fascinated by the natural world. I remember as a child in Sussex regularly seeing stag beetles and large numbers of butterflies. When we moved to London I was very disappointed that there were so many fewer butterflies even though I insisted on planting butterfly attracting plants in the garden . At secondary school our science subjects focussed on experimentation rather than learning from books. This included experiments such as measuring the speed of light with just a spinning mirror and simple microscope. We got pretty close to the correct value of 186,000 miles a second! My PhD was on how to grow evening primroses as an alternative farm crop in the UK. Most species were fairly stable, but some showed amazing patterns of outbreak right across the experiment then decline which no one had ever seen before. We were able to explain why these species might be showing these patterns. Seeing the patterns coming out of the printer from the heap of 300,000 numbers (plots x years x species), that was the most exciting. The long-term nature of the experiment has allowed all sorts of other questions to be addressed such as the effects of climate change and atmospheric pollution which were never thought of when it was set up. Recently I have been working on the Open University U316 course which uses a web database in a similar way to the Great Snail Hunt to collect bird, dragonfly and woodlouse species data from people all over Britain. It’s this sort of database where the public can be of great help. By collecting data you could spot important areas of biodiversity and help to get them protected. Going round in full circle, recently I have again been searching for stag beetles, this time unsuccessfully, as a child they were all over but now they have become quite rare. This is increasingly the case, once common species are vanishing due to land use change or different weather patterns or pollution. But if no one goes out and records the species then we have no idea of what is vanishing and how to preserve it for our children. Since being with the OU I have also worked on long-term fertilizer experiments, orchid population variability, species rich wet meadows, phylogeny (how all plants are related to each other), fir tree life history (fieldwork on mountaintops in USA and Japan), and a range of other topics. If you would like to find out more about the biology and geology which underpin the snail survey you may be interested in studying the Open University’s Level 1 course, S103 Discovering Science. This course covers many fascinating aspects of biology, physics, chemistry and Earth science; dealing with topics which range from global warming to the origin of life, ecology and genetics to earthquakes and volcanoes, chemical reactions and the structure of atoms to the origin of the universe. Discovering science can be taken as a single course or can lead to study at a higher level. You need no knowledge of science before you begin, and only a basic knowledge of maths. Why not check out the full course description at http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses?