The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium reported that marine mollusks and their shells are well known in Southwest Florida, but people often overlook terrestrial mollusks, such as land and tree snails and slugs.
“These animals play important roles in the region’s ecosystem and food web and have beautiful shells of their own,” it shared. “Our understanding of the diversity and abundance of land snail species in Southwest Florida is very limited.”
The goal of the museum’s Snail Search of Lee County is to record observations of land snails for baseline information. The local community can participate in the project by:
– Downloading the iNaturalist app and creating a free account.
– Going out and finding snails and slugs.
– Taking clear photos of observations. Photos should be as close as possible and clearly focused.
– Uploading to the iNaturalist app — the observation will automatically be added to the project page — or emailing the photo, with location information and a date, to jfalker@shellmuseum.org. Information — GPS coordinates or exact address, date and time — are required for each photo sent via email.
For more information, visit ShellMuseum.org/learn-and-experience/community-science.
To reach BAILEY-MATTHEWS NATIONAL SHELL MUSEUM & AQUARIUM, please email