Researchers on Kauai rediscover two native land snails, unseen for nearly a century

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A team of researchers on Kauai rediscovered two native land snails.

“Godwinia caperata” and “Hiona exaequata” have both been unseen for nearly a century.

Both were discovered by researchers with Bishop Museum and the Kauai Forest Bird Recovery Project during a recent biodiversity survey.

The museum is trying to raise fragile animals like this, along with 42 other land snail species at the Pūpū Ola: Kāhuli Protective Rearing Research Center.

Hawaii’s land snails are among the most threatened animals on Earth, with hundreds of species already extinct.

In Hawaiian tradition, kahuli (land snails) are honored in song and stories as voices of the forest.

Each surviving species represents millions of years of evolution as well as deep cultural connections.

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