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Shell shock: a biologist’s quest to save the endangered painted snail

Bernardo Reyes-Tur aims to unravel the mating mysteries of Cuba’s imperilled Polymita.
  1. Kendall Powell

    1. Kendall Powell is a freelance writer in Boulder, Colorado.

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Bernardo Reyes-Tur studies painted snails housed in plastic bottles and containers in his breeding lab in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba

Bernardo Reyes-Tur is a professor of conservation biology at University Oriente in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Credit: Bruno D’Amicis

In my laboratory at the University of Oriente, in Santiago de Cuba, we study the six species of Polymita, known as painted snails, which are endemic to eastern Cuba and are in danger of extinction. The shells’ vibrant swirls and stripes look as if they’ve been painted by hand. Unfortunately, you can find their shells for sale on eBay, and many are exported to places such as the United States, China and Spain for use in art and jewellery — despite laws banning such trade.

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Nature 594, 606 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01683-8

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