Tag: Snails & Slugs

Bettongia penicillata ?
With the 2026 IUCN update, the brush-tailed bettong (Bettongia penicillata), which has not been recorded since the 1920s, is listed as extinct for the first time. Whether Lydekker's 1896 illustration actually depicts this species remains unclear because B. penicillata and B. ogilbyi were not distinguished until later. Image: Lydekker, Richard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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2026: IUCN lists 15 more animal species as extinct

The IUCN has updated its Red List. Version 2026-1, published on July 9, 2026, lists a total of 15 more animal species in the “Extinct” (EX) category: six mammals, four fish, one insect species, and four snail species. Most of these are not recent extinctions; many of the species disappeared

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Threatened by invasive species: Partula radiolata
The endangered tree snail Partula radiolata from the island of Guam. A recent study shows that snails are particularly often victims of invasive species: since the 1970s, the introduction of the rosy wolfsnail has led to the extinction of more than 50 Partula species on Pacific islands. (© USFWS - Pacific Region, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
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Invasive species & extinction: What role do non-native animals and plants play?

Whether rats on tropical islands, introduced snails in the Pacific, or feral cats in remote bird colonies – invasive alien species (IAS) can throw entire ecosystems off balance and push animal and plant species to the brink of extinction. In 2023, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

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Achatinella apexfulva
The extinct tree snail Achatinella apexfulva (top) at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands. The species epithet apexfulva means “yellow tip” and refers to the color of the shell. (© Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Invertebrates

Yellow-tipped Oahu tree snail

Hawaii’s first scientifically described snail The yellow-tipped Oahu tree snail (Achatinella apexfulva) is not only the first scientifically described snail of the Hawaiian archipelago but also the first officially declared extinct. The species was first described in 1789 by British sailor and explorer George Dixon, who acquired a traditional necklace

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