I thought some of you might enjoy this posting.
       Carole Marshall




Gov't Tries to Save Mo. Cave Snail

.c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government placed a rare Missouri cave snail on the
federal list of endangered species Wednesday.

Tumbling Creek Cave snails have died off in such great numbers that
scientists are worried about the health of the cave stream and its water
source, an aquifer that serves both animals and the surrounding community.

Snails are a barometer of water quality, said Tom Aley, a water scientist who
is leading the effort to save the snail.

``I think the snail is an indicator of the health of the whole aquatic
ecosystem we have in the cave,'' Aley said. ``It's the place where we can see
the results of groundwater contamination more readily than we can with other
species.''

Aley and his wife, biologist Catherine Aley, own Tumbling Creek Cave and
operate Ozarks Underground Laboratory in southwest Missouri, not far from the
country music town of Branson.

With its 110 different and diverse species, including endangered gray bats,
the cave has been declared a national natural landmark by the U.S. Department
of Interior.

The snail, Antrobia culveri, may be the cave's most unique animal, because it
is the only species within its genus.

Aley makes a comparison to trees to explain the significance: ``There are
many different kinds of oak trees, but all oak trees are in one genus. So
this snail is as different from other snails as oak trees are from beech
trees.''

The snail is white with a pale yellow shell that has two or three whorls. It
looks similar to other snails, but its tiny size - about one tenth of an inch
- makes it nearly invisible to the untrained eye, said Paul McKenzie, an
endangered species biologist for the Midwest region of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.

``Someone like myself can pick up a rock and look underneath and with the
naked eye pick out a cave snail, but it takes training and a keen eye,''
McKenzie said.

Researchers have not agreed on what has caused the snail's sharp decline over
the past six years. Peggy Horner, endangered species coordinator for the
Missouri Department of Conservation, said there are a number of possible
culprits, particularly runoff and erosion that add silt to the cave stream
gravel where the snails make their homes.

Other possibilities include temperature changes, fluctuations in water flow
or a new predator or competitor.

The federal ``endangered'' designation will help get federal funds to help
the snail, and it puts together a team of government and university
researchers and other experts to develop a plan for the animal's recovery.

On the Net:

Fish and Wildlife Service's Midwest endangered species:
http://midwest.fws.gov/Endangered/



08/14/02 18:11 EDT


Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.  All active
hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.