They’ve moved at, well, a snail’s pace really.
However, after more than a century a colony of rare land snails have been rediscovered in Fife, causing a buzz among conservationists.
The isolated population of rare land snails last recorded in the region 110 years ago has been found by an eagle-eyed member of the public.
A sighting of Cochlodina laminata more commonly known as the plaited door snail was received by Fife Nature Records Centre (FRNC), the team responsible for recording biodiversity in Fife and part of Fife Coast and Countryside Trust.
The snail, which has a distinctive corkscrew shell, was last recorded in west Fife near Oakley in 1901, and the discovery near Blairhall, only a few miles away, is thought to be the only known population in Fife.
The plaited door snail is found in woodlands and grazes on algae and lichen.
Now the sighting has prompted Fife Coast and Countryside Trust to urge nature spotters keen to see the snail for themselves to check tree trunks.
Information officer Alexa Tweddle said: ”The plaited door snail is only known to occur in a handful of places in Scotland, with the biggest concentration in Perthshire.
”To have a confirmed recording of a population in Fife for the first time in over 100 years is very exciting.”
Alexa said accurate and up-to-date species distribution maps were essential in targeting conservation efforts.
”The trust is always grateful to people out enjoying the countryside to contact us with any sightings. Recording is fundamental if we are to adequately protect our native plants and animals.”
Fife’s first biological records centre was founded in 1992 and in 2008 Fife Nature Records Centre became part of Fife Coast and Countryside Trust.