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The largest Banff springs snails are about one cm long. In their natural habitat, they can sometimes be seen near their eggs (clear, jelly-like mass) and pine needles (about five cm long). Photo: Brenda Lepitzki |
Nowhere but in Banff National Park have the right chemical, biological and geological forces combined to give rise to a remarkable species, the Banff springs snail. Many visitors to the park first learn about the snail at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site of Canada - birthplace of Canada's national park system and location of some of the last remaining Banff springs snail habitat. The Banff springs snail is considered endangered and could disappear altogether, unless efforts to protect its habitat continue.
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Discovered in 1926, this enigmatic species has yet to reveal many of its secrets. When research and recovery efforts began in the mid-1990s, the only thing scientists knew for sure about the snail was that it inhabited five warm mineral springs on Sulphur Mountain, in Banff National Park - and nowhere else. So, scientists initiated a research program to learn more about the biology of the snail and its habitat.
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Dwayne and Brenda Lepitzki monitor snail numbers and measure water chemistry at one of the thermal springs on Sulphur Mountain. Photo: Mark and Leslie Degner |
Studying this species is no easy task, since the largest snails are about the size of a kernel of corn. Most easily spotted clinging to algae, sticks or rocks at the water's surface, these black-eyed molluscs must be seen up close to appreciate their finer features. Their shells are particularly unusual, with armour coiling to the left. Most other freshwater snails coil to the right. The Banff springs snail feeds on algae, bacteria and other micro-organisms. As the seasons change, snail populations in one thermal spring can seesaw from highs of 7 000 to lows of 30. Other characteristics, like its lifespan and breeding behaviour, are still being studied.
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What makes the snail most unique among molluscs is its choice of habitat. It congregates mainly where warm water gurgles up from the ground, preferring temperatures from 30° to 36° Celsius. Survival in this harsh environment, with abundant dissolved minerals and hydrogen sulphide gas, slight radioactivity, scant oxygen, and unique algae and bacteria, requires extraordinary adaptations.
Threats Past and Present
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Sulphur Mountain is the only place where the right chemical, biological and geological forces combined to give rise to the Banff springs snail. Photo: Parks Canada
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Several factors have contributed to the snail becoming endangered: its distribution is very limited (only five populations exist, each in a thermal spring), its populations fluctuate dramatically, and human activities threaten the species.
Human activities that most endanger the snail are now understood. By bathing or dipping their hands in warm springs, people have unknowingly disturbed or killed snails and their eggs. Chemicals like deodorants and insect repellents on people's skin can also be harmful. Other threats to the species include changes in water levels. Four of the five remaining snail populations are located in historically significant built environments, where water flows are regulated. These habitat disturbances, especially when snail populations are at their lowest, weaken the chances of the species' survival.
Fast-track Recovery
Recovery efforts are under way to maintain and improve current populations and re-establish others in springs where they historically thrived. They include:
- protection from human disturbance through the closure of some sites to the public, stepped-up surveillance, law enforcement and fines;
- research into the snail's reproductive biology, ecological role, population dynamics and distribution;
- research to understand the thermal spring ecosystems and their flora and fauna;
- captive-breeding to restore extirpated populations; and
- education and awareness initiatives to inform local residents, park staff and visitors about the snail.
A Leap in Conservation Consciousness
Like other molluscs, the Banff springs snail plays a fundamental role in the web of life. As a key part of the thermal spring ecosystem, it may nourish species like ducks, as well as other life forms, by being both prey and provider of essential nutrients.
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Public awareness and education are essential to species recovery. Photo: Mark and Leslie Degner |
Realizing that the Banff springs snail is as worthy of recovery efforts as any other species represents a leap in conservation consciousness. Just as healthy grizzly bear populations reflect the integrity of Rocky Mountain ecosystems, healthy snail populations reflect the integrity of thermal spring ecosystems. This little mollusc could become an ambassador for species at risk once overshadowed by more easily recognized plants and animals. It's all a matter of scale.
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