Mystery snail/ Apple snail

[Aiken Drum]

I found this amusing today and is an example of how you guys have americanised me.

I was in my LFS a few weeks back and asked about mystery snails. We dont call them mystery snails here in the UK, they are apple snails. Confused looks, so i corrected myself and asked them about apple snails which they had quite a number of.

Go back today to get my apple snail and all the signage now says "Apple snails AKA Mystery snails".

Anyway, here is my new snail.

[Autumnsky]

That's cute. There are 2 actually different types of snails / Mystery snails are POMACEA BRIDGESII
The super-sized ones really get large, can get the size of apples, Pomacea Paludosa.

[Autumnsky]

Edit - saw a different version, golden, called P. insularum.

[Aiken Drum]

Originally Posted by Autumnsky

That's cute. There are 2 actually different types of snails / Mystery snails are POMACEA BRIDGESII
The super-sized ones really get large, can get the size of apples, Pomacea Paludosa.

Yes, i think the kind of apple/mystery snail we get in UK are a larger type than you get. We dont get the smaller variety, at least ive never seen them anywhere, and this one could get big.

[Autumnsky]

That's cool!

[ADsnail]

That is a real beauty! Brian IX?

It's all a bit confusing...there's some mixup about a mystery snail being an apple snail but not all apple snails are mystery snails, including the legality of each. Interesting ID, Autumnsky...I'm ready to go with any identification. My local Fed WLFS classifies Pomacea Canaliculata as the large species of apple snail and is illegal to sell or transport in many states and countries because they are invasive and spread parasites.

They classify mysteries as Pomacea Diffusa. Periodically the Federal Wildlife & Fisheries Service activates their ban on P. Cana to a higher degree and turns a sharp eye on the pet snail trade, casting a wide net to include anything in the Pomacea family. Even legal mysteries that we've been happily buying for years.

The most recent time was about two years ago. This is how that worked out, in this state and number of others:

We went to a favorite LFS to buy another mystery but suddenly the snail tanks were gone. When asked, employees gave us the stinkeye and brushed us off with "We don't carry snails. Never have". It was the same at another favorite shop, only instead of dismissive they looked scared, like we were the snail police come to lock them up. Both places gaslighted me, backtracking to make sure I knew they "never" had mystery snails.

In desperation I ended up at a big box store, and there received a stern lecture that shed light on the situation: "Apple snails are highly illegal and are not sold anywhere and never have been, per federal law". Never mind that I was asking for a mystery snail.

So I did meet the Snail Police and, incorrect info aside, he basically introduced me to the ongoing ban, seesawing between activated-not activated/in one state but not another, etc. Looking around online confirmed that this was indeed going on in other states.

We were suddenly looking at our snails with a question mark: Are you legal? Are you what you were when I bought you? Am I supposed to "turn you in"? To who? A restaurant?

One month later I went back to the same stores, and everyone had mysteries for sale. No problem, as though the snail alarm had never been rung. And so it goes: one month Brian's peacefully putting along as his own mystery self; the next, he's a criminal in the Apple Gang. Congratulations on your new family member, whatever we may call him

[Aiken Drum]

I will keep you informed about how big it gets. It will certainly get 2 to 3" in diameter. Possibly 4". Im hoping it stays on the small size, but ive just watched it devour a sizable algae wafer in 30 minutes, so.....

Im not really one for naming fish and stuff, but maybe as it will become a bit of a monster, Igor after my footballing hero.

[Autumnsky]

That is a name I have seen before P. Cana. They keep renaming things, so I am not sure whichever.

But looking for a name, I saw at some point in Florida a Kite bird only eats snails and they were doing well, good numbers of them while there were so many Apple snails, aka the huge ones. During the times measures were taken to remove as many as possible all over the place and guess what, the population of the Kite bird dwindled down to threatened numbers (could be worse than that, didn't have enough time to read further). Also saw told it was due to the water levels weren't as high, in recent seasons, so less water and more aggressive removal, and less snail eating birds.

Maybe interesting info are the arguments pro or con for the whitelist vs, black list debate. Black list identifies a specific known "risky" animal and prohibits it, whereas a white list allows only specific identified animals as okay to import /transport between states. This limits allowing newly identified species and blankets whole groups of creatures without accurately knowing them to be dangerous. Very difficult for the hobby.