'Charming' hairy snail is focus for London conservation project

CONSERVATIONISTS and citizen scientists have joined forces for a project to save London's "charming little" hairy snail.

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(GINO BRIGNOLI/PA WIRE)

Named the German hairy snail because of tiny hairs that cover its shell, the rare species is one of the UK's most endangered molluscs.

The finger-sized animal can be found only in small, fragmented patches of its historic damp riverside habitat along the Thames.

The fine hairs that run along the slim, round shell are thought to allow the snail to sweat off moisture, helping to make its slime sticky enough for it to cling to the slippery riverside debris and the plants it feeds on.

The project team, led by Citizen Zoo and Zoological Society of London (ZSL), has started a series of surveys to better understand the species' distribution across the capital and inform conservation action.

Taking place over the last couple of months, the team has been searching and identifying species at both known and potential river sites in boroughs such as Newham, Richmond upon Thames and Barnet.