San Bernardino springsnail facts for kids
The San Bernardino springsnail (Pyrgulopsis bernardina) is a tiny freshwater snail. It is an endangered species, which means it's at risk of disappearing forever. This special snail only lives in a few springs in the United States and northern Mexico. It belongs to a group of snails called Hydrobiidae.
Quick facts for kids San Bernardino springsnail |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pyrgulopsis
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| Species: |
bernardina
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Contents
Where Does This Snail Live?
The San Bernardino springsnail loves to live in fresh, clean springs. Sometimes, it can also be found in small brooks fed by springs.
This snail used to live in at least eight different places. These places were all near the start of the Rio Yaqui river. They included Tule Spring in the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. It also lived in five springs on the John Slaughter Ranch and two springs in Sonora, Mexico.
However, by 2012, scientists could only find the snail in three places. These were one spring on the Slaughter Ranch and the two spots in Sonora. This means the snail now lives in a very small area, probably less than 10 square kilometers (about 4 square miles).
What Does This Snail Look Like?
The Pyrgulopsis bernardina is a very small snail. It is only about 1.3 to 1.7 millimeters tall. That's less than a tenth of an inch! It has a narrow, cone-shaped shell.
Scientists can tell it apart from other similar snails. They look at a special part of its body called the penial filament. This snail's filament has a unique shape and special glands.
How Does This Snail Live?
The San Bernardino springsnail lives underwater all the time. It breathes using gills, just like a fish.
It eats tiny plant-like organisms called diatoms. It might also eat thin layers of bacteria or tiny bits of dead plants and animals (called detritus). These snails probably like to live on sand or small rocks. They don't seem to like muddy areas or places with lots of decaying stuff.
Like many small water creatures, this snail can be eaten by other animals. Birds, amphibians (like frogs), and fish all might prey on it.
Why Is This Snail in Danger?
The San Bernardino springsnail is an endangered species. This is because it lives in very few places. Also, it is quickly losing the places where it can live.
It's hard to know exactly how many of these snails there are. Their numbers can change a lot, even in short distances. There might be zero snails in one spot and hundreds of thousands in another!
Scientists believe the snail has lost at least 75% of its living areas. This is probably due to two main reasons:
- Groundwater depletion: This means too much water is being taken from underground. This causes the springs to dry up or have less water.
- Pesticide contamination: Harmful chemicals from pesticides might be getting into the water.
Another problem could be an invasive species called the mosquitofish. This fish is known to eat snails like the San Bernardino springsnail. Even though mosquitofish are not found where the snail lives now, they used to be in some of the springs where the snail has disappeared.
