Video
The Zion Snail
Transcript
Hello. My name is Tim Lutterman, interpretive ranger here at Zion National Park, and welcome to this Ranger Minute. The cliffs of Zion are some of the tallest in the world, in some places rising over 2000 vertical feet. These cliffs are home to animals like the peregrine falcon and the California condor, which are easy to see and to admire. But these cliffs are also home to other forms of wildlife, which often go overlooked by most of the park's visitors. Here along this stretch of the Riverside Walk, you can find one of the smallest animals in the world hiding in plain sight in the hanging gardens along the trail. The Zion snail. This is the smallest snail in the world, measuring in at approximately 1/8th to 1/16th of an inch in diameter. They also boast proportionately the largest foot of any snail in the world. The foot is the muscle that is used by snails to move around. As if being the smallest in the world wasn't enough of a claim to fame, these snails are also unique in that they are only found here in Zion National Park. Even within the park, they are only found along the Virgin River and parts of the Narrows, Orderville Canyon, and here along the Riverside Walk. If you want to find these snails, the easiest place is along the Riverside Walk, where they are easily seen in the flowing spring water coming down through the rock and the hanging gardens. If you do see them, please do not touch them. They are extremely fragile and are easily crushed by people trying to pick them off the walls. Simply admire them from the trail, or get out the camera and the macro lens and take a picture so you can show everyone these minuscule mollusks of Zion National Park.
Description
Park Ranger Tim Lutterman takes a closer look at the the Zion snail, and endemic species to the park. Please note: This snail is no longer the smallest snail in the world...but it is very small!
Duration
1 minute, 43 seconds
Credit
NPS
Date Created
06/23/2011
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