This mollusk is a member of the family Polygyridae (“land snails”), the largest native terrestrial snails in British Columbia . As with most snails, it is hermaphroditic (possessing both male and female sexual organs) and usually reproduces by cross-fertilization. Snails are poor dispersers and often exist in isolated habitat patches. In Canada, this snail is only found in the lower Fraser Valley, with one site located on Vancouver Island. Its habitat is mixed-wood and deciduous forests, typically dominated by bigleaf maple, balsam poplar and Western redcedar. The presence of Oregon Forestsnail tends to be associated with patches of stinging nettle which, in addition to providing shade and protection from predation and trampling, may be an important food source for juveniles and adults.
This is a species at risk. To find its current at-risk designation and listing info, visit the BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer. For direction on finding additional species recovery information, visit the Species and Ecological Communities Profiles Overview webpage.
Resources
-
BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer
Provincial site providing current information for BC’s plants, animals and...
Learn More -
Oregon Forestsnail Species Profile
SCCP’s Species Profile of the Oregon Forestsnail (2015).
-
Common Land Snails of BC’s South Coast
Identification guide to the common land snails on BC's South...
Learn More -
Oregon Forestsnail Best Management Practices Guidebook
2018 edition of BC’s best management practices for the Oregon...
Learn More -
Conservation at a slow pace: terrestrial gastropods facing fast-changing climate
Paper - Conservation at a slow pace: terrestrial gastropods facing...
Learn More