Mollusc Sightings: Snail thought to have been extinct since Roman times is found in Hampshire pond

An incredibly rare snail that has not been seen since Roman times and was believed extinct in Britain has been found in a pond.

For centuries, scientists had confined the five-millimetre long lagoon spire snail to the annals of the UK's natural history.

But a world-leading mollusc expert has now uncovered the tiny snail in a salt water pond in Chichester Harbour in Hampshire.

The find is so scientifically important that the exact whereabouts of the creature, commonly known as the spire or mud snail, is being kept a secret.

Scientists have never previously found the snail alive in Britain.

Dr Martin Willing was hired by Chichester Harbour Conservancy to undertake a snail survey with the aim of finding the rare desmoulin's whorl snail.

The attempt was unsuccessful but instead the rare spire snail was discovered.

View from the other side: Scientists have never previously found the snail alive in Britain

Find: Dr Martin Willing

Dr Willing hailed the snail, which feeds on plants, as a very rare and important discovery.

He said: 'This is the first actual sighting of this snail in Britain.

'It was previously found dead in clay lining the Roman baths in Bath. We think the clay from brackish lagoons was used to line the baths. 

'Then it was subsequently found dead near Portsmouth - and some shells were found.'

Knowing the lagoon spire's history, Dr Willing was flabbergasted when he stumbled across a living, breathing one in Chichester Harbour.

'It's very exciting to know this snail has not died out and we will be doing a lot of work to conserve it in the future,' he said.

'We have to keep the location top secret because it is such a valuable find and we don't want anything jeopardising that.'

The find in Chichester Harbour (pictured) is so scientifically important that the exact whereabouts of the creature is being kept a secret

Ed Rowsell, conservation officer at Chichester Harbour Conservancy, added: 'Basically, the snail was thought to be extinct in the UK. It's very rare anywhere in Europe.'

Scientists now plan to conserve the snails' habitat by closely monitoring the saltiness of the water.

The harbour is also home to around 20 seals, water voles, grass snakes, barn owls and brown hares.

Reference: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

'Tiger Sighting' in Hampshire: Armed Police and Helicopter move in

A stuffed toy animal led to a large-scale police operation in Hampshire and stopped play at the Rose Bowl cricket ground.

The alarm was first raised by a concerned member of the public who believed there was an escaped white tiger hiding in a field near Hedge End.

Officers were sent to the scene along with a helicopter and thermal imaging cameras, at about 1600 BST on Saturday.

When no body heat was detected police moved in and found a cuddly toy tiger.

A police spokeswoman said officers had responded as if it was a real incident, close to junction seven of the M27.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

We sent some local officers and they confirmed they were looking at it and it was was looking at them”

Hampshire police

Contingency plans were even put in place to close the motorway, but that proved unnecessary.

Police enlisted the help from animal experts at nearby Marwell Zoo, who offered advice and were prepared to send a team with tranquiliser darts to overcome the tiger.

The Rose Bowl said a game between South Wiltshire and Hampshire Academy was stopped for about 20 minutes before they were given the all clear to continue.

Golfers at a nearby golf course were also told to go indoors.

A police spokeswoman said: "After a brief stalk through the Hedge End savannah, the officer realised the tiger was not moving and the air support using their cameras realised there was a lack of heat source.

"The tiger then rolled over in the down draft and it was at that point it became obvious it was a stuffed life-size toy.

"This incident will definitely be the highlight of our day. The CCTV footage convinced us all we were dealing with a real tiger.

"It's not often an incident leaves our staff with a smile on their face and it just goes to show the diverse type of incident we are called to deal with."

Reference: BBC Hampshire

Wildlife Sightings in Hampshire

What Wildlife have you seen in Hampshire?

Whether its an Insect, Spider, Bird, Mammal, Fish, Mollusc, Reptile, Plant or Fungi let us know! 

Remember to add the location of the sighting and if you managed to get a photo, you can add it to your comment!