Photography courtesy of Virginia's Endangered Species

 For this report, I will tell about the habitat, shell, body, and anatomy of this rare species of mollusk. I will also tell some ways we could help protect and repopulate it. I believe that we must preserve its habitat, and let people know about the snails, or ignorant hikers or picnickers may come along and destroy habitats, without ever knowing what they did. We do not want to jeopardize the species more than it already is. We must protect the Virginia fringed mountain snail from extinction.
 

 Also, looking at the painted polymita[polymita picta]a close relative of this species, helped me understand terms used to describe the shell in Endangered Species of Virginia.

 Later, I found an actual picture of the Virginia fringed mountain snail. It looked pretty close in looks to my guess.

 Also, the above books have helped me to figure out the anatomy of the snail. Because this is not a primitive mollusk, it does not have primitive characteristics in its anatomy.

 Here is the report I have put together with the research that I have gathered
 

 The shell seems almost colorless, but is a light, creamy hue. It is made of calcium, as are all mollusk shells. The animal grows by producing more shell material from glands on its body.

 While most people think of shells when they think of mollusks, it is important to remember that shells are only one part. They hide wonderful, amazing animals, each different and similar to each other in some way.

 Virginia fringed mountain snails [like other mollusks] has a body with four main parts: the head, the mantle, the visceral mass, and the foot.

 The head of the snail holds the eyes, mouth, and tentacles.

 The visceral mass holds the main organs and is like the "body" of the snail.

 The mantle secretes the shell material, and also envelopes the head in some times.

 The foot is what the animal uses to crawl on. It is like a big muscle, built to help the animal move from place to place.

 The shell also has four deep spiral lines on the whorls, called fringes. Hence, its name.
 

 One thing never present in habitats of the Virginia fringed mountain snail is humus.This could be for several reasons. It could be that by chance, Virginia fringed mountain snails never populated a humus rich area. Or, more likely, there is something in rich humus that irritates the snails, or that is dangerous to their health. Whatever the reason, Virginia fringed mountain snails are not found in rich humus.

 Here is a picture of a normal habitat for a Virginia fringed mountain snail.

 The snail lies buried under thirty five centimeters of soil, which is made up mostly of moist limestone fragments and pieces of red-orange clay. The place is shaded heavily from the hot light of the sun. Wild Honeysuckle grows all through the area, which faces the New River from a stretch of bluffs.

 It must be remembered that though surrounded by honeysuckle and smothered in shade, the only living specimens were found on a stretch of bluffs. Also, the majority of snails found were under a rock pile by a country road on the bluffs of the New River in Pulaski county, Virginia.

 One thing never present in habitats of the Virginia fringed mountain snail is humus.This could be for several reasons. It could be that by chance, Virginia fringed mountain snails never populated a humus rich area. Or, more likely, there is something in rich humus that irritates the snails, or that is dangerous to their health. Whatever the reason, Virginia fringed mountain snails are not found in rich humus.

 Here is a picture of a normal habitat for a Virginia fringed mountain snail.

 The snail lies buried under thirty five centimeters of soil, which is made up mostly of moist limestone fragments and pieces of red-orange clay. The place is shaded heavily from the hot light of the sun. Wild Honeysuckle grows all through the area, which faces the New River from a stretch of bluffs.

 It must be remembered that though surrounded by honeysuckle and smothered in shade, the only living specimens were found on a stretch of bluffs. Also, the majority of snails found were under a rock pile by a country road on the bluffs of the New River in Pulaski county, Virginia.

 One thing never present in habitats of the Virginia fringed mountain snail is humus.This could be for several reasons. It could be that by chance, Virginia fringed mountain snails never populated a humus rich area. Or, more likely, there is something in rich humus that irritates the snails, or that is dangerous to their health. Whatever the reason, Virginia fringed mountain snails are not found in rich humus.

 Here is a picture of a normal habitat for a Virginia fringed mountain snail.

 The snail lies buried under thirty five centimeters of soil, which is made up mostly of moist limestone fragments and pieces of red-orange clay. The place is shaded heavily from the hot light of the sun. Wild Honeysuckle grows all through the area, which faces the New River from a stretch of bluffs.

 It must be remembered that though surrounded by honeysuckle and smothered in shade, the only living specimens were found on a stretch of bluffs. Also, the majority of snails found were under a rock pile by a country road on the bluffs of the New River in Pulaski County, Virginia.
 

 The Virginia fringed mountain snail has a quite interesting anatomy.

 Its digestive system is what I will explain first:

 Food enters the mouth. There teeth in the mouth, so there is a rough, platelike organ called the radula, which is supported up the throat. It serves as the first step in digestion. The food then travel down the throat to the stomach. Waste is excreted into the mantle cavity, or space between the mantle and the body.

 The circulatory system is significantly different than in humans. The heart has only one chamber. There are only a few large blood vessels, because mostly the blood flows freely through the body.

 Lungs are in the mantle cavity.

 While this species has a lot of protection from its shell and habitat, we must not forget that it is federally endangered, close to extinction, and that we must protect them.
 

 All of these things, I believe will help to restore the species. It is important that we do at least something. It would be a horrible shame to lose the Virginia fringed mountain snail to extinction.
 

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