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Discarded shopping carts - the bane of egg laying Pomacea diffusa |
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Pomacea species have adjusted their lifestyle to take advantage
of living in close proximity to man. This is especially noticeable
in regards to depositing their egg clutches. While egg clutches
would normally be deposited on vegetation, the presence of man-made
objects offers an opportunity that many specimens take advantage of.
Man-made objects not only are generally sturdy and permanent, but
allow the eggs to be deposited higher above the water surface to
prevent them being inundated and destroyed by rising water. The discarded shopping cart shown below, with one egg clutch attached and a single Pomacea diffusa sitting on top, was discovered in the drainage ditch near the Kentucky Fried Chicken resturant on 6/25/2009. The snail was removed from the cart and was found to be still alive despite its exposed condition but died shortly thereafter. A return visit on 6/28/2009 revealed that the shopping cart now had five more egg clutches attached and yet another snail sitting atop the cart - wedged in so tightly it was not able to be easily removed. It then became apparent that the shopping cart also was a snail trap for specimens venturing onto the carts horizontal surface. |
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