Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Thersites mitchellae

Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail Thersites mitchellae

It is a little known fact that 99% of our native animals are invertebrates, such as snails, beetles and worms.

The Mitchell's Rainforest Snail is just one of a multitude of small creatures that contribute to our natural ecosystems. Community awareness and involvement were identified as an important part of the recovery plan for this native invertebrate. Not much is known about its ecology. It used to be common in rainforests and swampy parts of northern coastal lowlands, but over the years its habitat has been decimated by land clearing and farming.

The endangered Mitchell's Rainforest Snail is now largely restricted to small areas of remnant habitat scattered around the Tweed, Byron and Ballina Shires. A significant population of the invertebrate can still be found on the Stotts Island Nature Reserve on the Tweed River.

Mitchell’s Rainforest Snail needs community support to ensure its survival.

To promote awareness of invertebrate conservation, the snail stars in a Foundation funded teacher’s kit for local schools in the NSW far north coast. Aimed at primary school children, the kit provides a wealth of information about this endangered native snail in the form of quizzes, games, and novel activities such as slime making.

The Mitchell's Rainforest Snail Kit was funded with $5,000 raised by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife during its 1999/2000 Endangered Species Appeal. The yellow and brown striped snail, with its distinctive triangular shell, was the first invertebrate to be the subject of a Foundation appeal. One of six species listed in the appeal, it was allocated a sixth of the $30,000 funding raised.

The kit has since been revamped to help raise awareness for Pete, the Placostylus (the endemic and endangered Lord Howe Island land snail).

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