«Two thirds of all known species worldwide are soil organisms. They ensure intact soil from which we humans also benefit – be it for agricultural production, as a water filter or as a CO₂ storage,” writes Pro Natura about the choice of the new animal of the year, the grove snail (Cepaea nemoralis). They and other living beings would ensure “our literal livelihood”. In its “year in office,” the snail is promoting better protection of the soil.
The animals’ houses, measuring around 2.5 cm in size and colored from creamy white to pastel red, were among the largest and most diverse of the local snail population. The biology and reproduction of reptiles is also quite special, i.e. non-binary: “As a two-sex mollusk, every snail can produce both sperm and eggs,” explains the explanation For Nature. “After a heartfelt love dance, the animals exchange sperm packets and later lay several dozen eggs in self-dug holes in the ground.” The little snails, which then hatch after about three weeks, already have a house.
The animals would primarily feed on wilted and dead plants and thus keep the soil surface “clean”. “Without this work, the surface of the earth would be covered meters high with dead wood, carcasses and excrement,” says Pro Natura. The snail and other species also create an average of 0.1 millimeters of new soil per year, which is urgently needed due to improper agricultural use of the soil and erosion-related losses of up to five millimeters annually due to events such as heavy rain or dry periods with strong winds.
In order to secure the future of the “Animal of the Year”, Pro Natura would like to see a reduction in land consumption through development and is launching corresponding initiatives. In Switzerland, more than half a square meter of fertile soil is sealed every second. This has resulted in 40 percent of Swiss snail species currently being threatened.
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