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Mesodon thyroidus (Say, 1817) White-lip Globe Up Tree |
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An adult and juvenile on tree about six feet above ground, flood plain of Little Black Creek, County Road
220 0.2 miles NW of Knight Boxx Road, Clay
County, Florida, 07/10/2021. Observations at this location over the
years indicated that the species routinely climbed trees to avoid
drowning during times that their habitat was inundated by flood
water. While that is in fact true, recent observations strongly
suggest that the climbing survival strategy is not triggered by the
actual presence of flood waters but instead is triggered
instinctively by prolonged heavy rain. During a visit to the flood plain on 7/10/2021 a total of nine Mesodon were found sheltering in trees up to about ten feet above ground and there was no evidence of flooding despite recent prolonged heavy rain and the passing of a tropical storm. One of the nine was found in a tree in an area not subject to flooding. During drier periods the snails at this location live buried in leaf litter at the base of trees. |
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