Flax snail  (Placostylus ambagiosus)

Description

Flax snails (Placostylus spp.) are endemic to New Zealand and belong to the world’s oldest land snail family, which originated 200 to 300 million years ago (3). The long, coiled, shiny brown shell of this particular flax snail species can reach up to an impressive 9.4 centimetres (2) (4). Sadly, the beauty of their shells was fatal for many flax snail species, before shell collecting became illegal in 1982 (5).

left