Endangered Land Snails | Hana Hou! Magazine

I trekked into the Waianae mountains with veteran biologist Michael Hadley, entomologist Cynthia King, and writer Janice Crowl to search for rare endemic tree snails in the Honoulili Forest Reserve in Oahu. The Achatinella Mustelina Snails are tiny, the size of your fingernail, and live on the underside of the leaves of 'O'hia trees, where they feed on mold. The snails live long lives of up to 20 years and spend their entire existence on one tree in this remote area in the Waianae Range. Hadfield has been breeding the snails for years at UH, trying to repopulate the wild. It was an amazing experience to hike into the misty muddy mountains closed to the public and search for these intriguing little creatures. Check out the April/ May issue of Hana Hou! The Hawaiian Airlines Magazine to read the full article.