Facing extinction, the snails so small they can fit on the edge of a 50p coin
*Only 306 Partula gibba snails remain after farming experiment
*Tiny creatures are born no bigger than a pin head
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
They may so small they can crawl along the edge of a coin, but the endangered status of these snails means soon they may not be visible at all.
The critically endangered Partula gibba snail, which is little bigger than a pin head at birth, is facing extinction after a failed farming experiment almost wiped out its entire number.
British conservationists are battling to save the tiny creature, with a third of the world's population currently being held at Marwell Zoo near Winchester, Hants.
Threatened: The partula gibba snail is little bigger than a pin head at birth
The snails are extinct in the wild after a botched farming experiment wiped out its number in its native Pacific Islands.
When the predatory rosy wolfsnail, from Florida was introduced to the islands in 1974 in a bid to control land snail numbers, it instead fed on tree snails.
Now 123 of the world's population of just 306 Partula gibba are kept in Winchester, along with seven other species of the snail.
The remaining numbers of the snails are kept at London Zoo.
This year, conservationists will release some Partula gibba into reserves on the islands.
They will then be closely monitored until they are released into the wild to fend for themselves.
Snail keeper Geoff Read, 61, section manager for lower vertebrates and invertebrates, said: 'I'm looking at a species dying in front of me and to think these snails could become extinct in my lifetime is incredibly sad.'
'I know they are only snails, and I hate to say that, but because they are not cute and fluffy people do not seem to care.
'These animals are incredibly rare and to have a third of the world's population here in one room says it all to me.
Endangered: There are only 306 of the snails left in the world, with 123 now kept in a zoo in Winchester
'It's a lot of responsibility that has to be taken very seriously.
'However, the International Partula Conservation Programme has plans to re-introduce the snails into the wild, so there could be hope for the future.
'Their home here is like a bio-security room and the environment is key to their survival.
PARTULA GIBBA SNAILS
Partula snails are named after the Roman goddess of childbirth because, unlike most snails, they give live birth.
Partula have both male and female sex organs and produce one baby snail every six to eight weeks.
They reach sexual maturity aged one year and live for up to ten years.
They live for up to ten years and grow from the size of a pinhead to no more than half an inch long.
The Partula, or Polynesian Tree Snail as they are also known, spend their time grazing algae from the surface of leaves in forests on Pacific islands.
They are distantly related to the giant clam and octopus and are most active after rain.
