What the shell?

A rare tree snail species from the mountainous wet tropics of northern Queensland has been named in honour of the late screaming animal lover Steve Irwin. Queensland Museum scientist and honorary research fellow Dr John Stanisic said that like its namesake, the Crikey Steveirwini is a unique creature with some interesting qualities that set it apart.

The snail has so far been found in only a handful of locations, all at high altitudes – an apparently unusual characteristic for land snails.

“These mountainous habitats will be among the first to feel the effects of climate change and Steve Irwin’s tree snail could become a focal species for monitoring this change,” said Dr Stanisic.

“In contrast with its more drab coloured ground-dwelling relatives, Crikey steveirwini is a colourful snail, with swirling bands of creamy yellow, orange-brown and chocolate giving the shell an overall khaki appearance. It was the khaki colour that immediately drew the connection to the late Crocodile Hunter.”

Like Steve Irwin and most other snails, it probably also reacts badly to saltwater.