THE LAST KNOWN LAND SNAIL OF HIS KIND DIES
(Honolulu)
–The last known Achatinella apexfulva in the Hawaiian Islands, “George,” died
on New Year’s Day, 2019. George was approximately 14 years old and his name was
derived from the Pinta Island Galapagos tortoise, “Lonesome George,” also the
last of its species.
The
Achatinella apexfulva was the first of over 750 species of land snails from the
Hawaiian Islands described in western science. The first mention dates back to
at least 1787 when Captain George Dixon was docked on O‘ahu and was given a
shell on a lei. These snails were once common on O‘ahu in the Ko‘olau
Mountains and were used heavily for lei making as access to them was much
easier at lower elevations.
In
1997, the last ten known Achatinella apexfulva were brought to a laboratory at
the University of Hawaii for captive rearing. Some additional offspring were
produced but later all the Achatinella apexfulva died, except for George.
A
two-millimeter snippet of George’s foot was collected in 2017 for research
purposes and the living tissue remains alive in a deep freeze container at San
Diego’s Frozen Zoo.
George’s
passing is a significant loss to locals as he was featured in numerous articles
and hundreds of school children have viewed him over the years.
The
remaining land snails in Hawaii face imminent extinction threats from invasive
species and climate change. The Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEP) is
featured prominently in the upcoming television documentary, Forests for Life, which
chronicles the vital importance of Hawai‘i’s native forests to all life in
Hawai‘i. The hour-long special, considered the most comprehensive look at all
the benefits native forests provide and the threats they face, debuts on
KFVE-TV (K5), at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18th with a repeat on
Monday, Jan. 21, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.
...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.