Endangered species of alien snail species

Scientists have discovered a new snail, which looks like small alien creatures standing on the brink of extinction.

A group of biologists has recorded 32 species of dry snails belonging to the genus Plectostoma in Malaysia, Sumatra and Thailand. 10 of them are newly discovered species.

With orange, purple and bright red crust, this snail looks extremely eye-catching. Thor-Seng Liew researcher, Center for Natural Biodiversity in Leiden, Netherlands describes: 'Their shell is twisted unlike other snails, making them look like small gems.'

Strange snails.(Source: livescience.com)

Liew and colleagues used a micro CT scanner to study the strange shell of this snail.

This snail only lives on limestone hills, which are very rare in Southeast Asia, so the habitat of each snail population is very separate, making them very distinctive species in the hills.

Narrow living environment makes all limestone mining activities to destroy all populations. In fact, the Plectostoma sciaphilum is extinct when the hills where we live are exploited in 2003.

Six other snail species also face similar risks. P. tenggekensis, one of the studied species is likely to disappear by the end of 2014.

To raise awareness of the conservation of these beautiful snails, researchers named some species after conservationists and politicians advocating conservation.

For example, the Plectostoma whitteni is named after Tony Whitten, a former World Bank biodiversity specialist, who is currently the Asia-Pacific director of the International Plant and Animal Conservation Organization.