Adpot a Species - Rough Horn snail Pleurocera foremani

http://www.arkive.org/rough-hornsnail/pleurocera-foremani/image-G90473.html

For my Adopt a Species I chose the Rough Horn snail, scientific name Pleurocera foremani. The Hornsnail originates from Alabama and Georgia and is proposed to be an endangered species. The Rough Horn snail belongs to the aquatic snail family and is a species of gastropod in the Pleuroceridae family and also classified in the domain of Eukaryote.

Its shell is pyramidal in shape, and thick. The snail's shell is yellow and orange in color and has up to 9 whorls on the outside of the shell.  These invertebrate snails are freshwater animals that live in lakes and rivers in the Alabama area.

This type of snail species gets nutrients from debris found on the bottom and sides of the river or lake. Many snails graze on a variety of places near their habitat by scraping their food from places such as, rocks, woody debris, and submerged plants. The ingested algae and organic matter is mixed with a steady stream of mucus as it enters the mouth.

Unfortunately, for these tiny animals their habitats are beginning to decline. Due to dam construction, channel modifications, pollution from agriculture and the draining of lakes and ponds these poor creatures have been endangered for quite a few years. In order to save these types of animals conservativsts have began getting the word out about cleaning waterways and even adopting a stream or rivers. By doing this will not only help save the Rough Hornsnail, but also help in saving other aquatic life.

In addition to maintaining water quality for bottom dwelling animals by eating algae, they are also a good food source for larger animals, such as fish, ducks and turtles. According to Bioprospectors – people who hunt for new uses of organisms - drug called Prialt, which comes from snails. This drug is thought to be used for areas dealing with the Nervous System. Prialt is injected to the fluid surround the spinal cord in order to treat chronic pain. This is used for patients who are suffering from cancer, back problems and other injuries. These mollusks also produce a certain toxins that are supposed to help in the fighting of Epilepsy.

The reason I chose this animal was because most people don’t stop and think about such a tiny creature. All life needs help to survive and I also didn’t know much about this particular animal. I wanted to do something was completely new to me in order to learn more information. I also, in a way find them really cute!

 http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-530/420-530.html

http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=G06V

http://www.healthcanal.com/medical-breakthroughs/14611-New-Drugs-from-the-Venoms-Marine-Snails.html