‘Giant’ creatures in New Zealand mountains recovering from ‘being eaten alive’
For the last 15 years, wildlife experts have been working to protect a rare ‘giant’ species that lives in New Zealand’s rugged mountains from being “eaten alive.”
Now, officials have confirmed their years of “painstaking work” is paying off, according to an Oct. 21 news release from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.
Powelliphanta marchanti is an endangered species of land snail, and its populations are in “serious decline” due to being hunted by possums, rats and pigs, according to the release. Measuring up to 2 inches long, these are considered “giants of the snail world,” officials said.
The giant snails are found only in the Ruahine, Kaweka and Kaimanawa mountain ranges in the lower central region of New Zealand’s North Island.
This fall, experts surveyed 10 plots of land, each 100 square meters, searching through leaf litter on their hands and knees for signs of snails or their shells, according to the release.
“Possums leave tell-tale marks on the shells of snails they eat,” officials said.
In areas that received predator control measures over the last 15 years, the team found “no possum or rat-eaten shells” as well as “significantly more live snails,” Department of Conservation Ranger Ruby Bennett said in the release.
In areas without predator control, the team found many eaten shells. “These findings reinforce our long-term monitoring, which shows a steep decline in snails over the past 17 years in the area without predator management,” Bennett said.
According to experts, possums learned to eat snails, and this behavior was widespread in mountain habitats where the possum’s preferred foods were scarce.
The team hopes that by removing possums from these areas where the giant land snails are present, they can disrupt this learned behavior, according to release.
Most snails in the Powelliphanta genus are only found in small, hidden areas and face “serious” risk of extinction, according to the release.
“If you’re lucky enough to see a Powelliphanta snail, admire its beauty, take a photo, but please leave it where it is,” Bennett said in the release. “And don’t take empty shells as they provide homes for other smaller snails, spiders and fungi.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 12:11 PM with the headline "‘Giant’ creatures in New Zealand mountains recovering from ‘being eaten alive’."
