Mission to save the “most beautiful” in the world

The researchers have made a mission because of the most beautiful snails in the world, also to unlock its biological secrets.

The trees of the polymit of endangered polymites have shells that are disappearing from the habitats of their farm, in the eastern Cuba, vivid, colorful and jewelry.

Unfortunately, these shells in the collection are desirable, and conservation experts say that the shells push the snails towards extinction.

Cuban biologists, and the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, are now joined by the aim of saving six well-known UK species.

Their greatest danger is polymite sulphurosa, green lime, blue flame that has blue flames and bright oranges and bands through his shell.

But all the species of polyje is striking and colorful, and that is evolutionary mysteries within him.

“One of the reasons I’m interested in these snails are so beautiful,” explained the University of Nottingham’s genetic and mollusc experts.

Irony, he said, that is, that is, the snails are so threatened.

“Their beauty attracts people who collect and market shells. So it is a thing that makes different and interesting as a scientist, unfortunately, what they are jeopardy.”

Looking for Davison online, we found several platforms that offered salesmen based on UK. On a site, he was announcing a collection of seven shells by £ 160.

“For some of these species, we know that they are very risky. So he would not take much much, someone gathers and trades in Cuba, so that some species can cause extinction.”

Shells are purchased and sold as an ornamental object, but once the empty shells lived in animals.

While there are international rules to protect polymita snails, they tend to be difficult. It is illegal – an agreement on international trade in endangered species – snails or their shells without permission to get out of Cuba. But it is legal to sell shells elsewhere.

Davison says, with pressures affecting the natural habitat with climate change and forest loss in Cuba, “You can easily imagine people who collect local shells.”

To try to avoid this, Prof Davison was working hard at Bernardo Reyes-Tur, at the University of Santiago de Cuba, conservation biologist.

The aim of this international project is to better understand how to evolve and preserve the snails.

Maybe the most giant is the Reyes-Tur section.

“They still don’t grow, but they’re doing well,” he said in a video call.

“It’s quite challenge – we have breakdowns all the time.”

Meanwhile, in well-equipped laboratories at Nottingham University, it is making genetic research.

Here, Davison and his team can have small snail tissues in cryogenic frosts, preserve. This material is able to read animal genome – a biological set of coded instructions that each snail is.

The group uses this information to how many species are available, how to link and what part of their genetic code provide special colors, special colors.

Hope is to reveal these biological secrets that these colorful creatures are disappearing and sold.

“East Cuba is the only place to find these snails in the world,” Davison said BBC News.

“That’s where specialization is, where people who know these snails love and understand, he lives and works.

“We hope we can use genetic information we can help in conservation.”