Real aquarium lovers don't flush their excessive fish, snails or aquatic
plants through the toilet, but release them in a nearby pond, lake, stream,
ditch or canal. This may explain the large numbers of exotics you encounter
everywhere not only among the molluscs, but also among the freshwater fish,
aquatic reptiles, etc. This has even led to "hilarious" situations caused by
the release of crocs and gators, which became to large for the bathtub.
The most common aquatic snail in Israel is at this moment Haitia acuta
(better known by its old name Physella acuta or its synonym heterostropha),
a good second is Pseudosuccinea columella and the third Planorbella duryi.
All three are well known cosmopolitan aquarium snails originally from North
America. An other century or two and at the current rate you can identify
50% of the plants and animals in any country with a single guide.
Henk K. Mienis

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wiggers" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 8:16 PM
Subject: Re: Marisa and ramshorns


> --- [log in to unmask]
>Dear Andrew and Blue:-
....The material then goes to a water purification plant which kills
everything including bacteria before it is released into local rivers. How
do snails survive this?
Q-Man

>Some people also throw the animals directely in the rivers...(it
also happens with ornamental fish - very common in Florida, as
I've read).

> Wiggers