Nature Champions: Pond Mud Snail

Historically found as far north as Perth, the Pond mud snail (Omphiscola glabra) has become extinct in much of England and Wales, and lost from 64% of former sites in Scotland. It is thought that between five and eleven populations now survive in Scotland. The Pond mud snail lives in soft, nutrient-poor marshes, ditches and temporary pools, and its presence is often used to indicate water and habitat quality. If pools dry up in the summer, the snails burrow into mud and become dormant.