Creature Feature #545: Oahu Tree Snail

This fellow is an Oahu Tree Snail. They are one of 41 species of large land snail found only on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. They are beautiful - like living jewels. Found in the moist and dry forests, particularly of the mountainous regions, they climb the trees, grazing on fungus. Of these 41 species, some may well be extinct and the others are critically endangered. Why? Because they are predated by introduced pests such as chameleons, rats, and carnivorous rose snail, which was introduced to eliminate the giant land snail (an agricultural pest and thus a herbivore). Unfortunately, the native snails proved tastier and easier to catch - and many species were literally eaten to extinction.