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<\/p>\nThe Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County\u2019s snail and slug-focused community science project invites Southern Californians to join in the discovery with a photo contest, side quests, and a slimy good time<\/p>\n
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Caption: Best Snail Photo from 2023\u00a0<\/a>Trask Shoulderband Snail<\/a>\u00a0(critically imperilled) by @ectothermist \/ William Mason<\/p>\n <\/p>\n WHAT:\u00a0NHM\u2019s annual community science slugfest,\u00a0SNERCH<\/a>, returns from February 1 to March 31.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The search for snails and slugs, now known as SNERCH (a portmanteau of Snail Search), asks volunteers to scour Southern California for snails and slugs during the two-month run and share photographs of as many of the slimy critters as they can find. Formerly known as Snail Blitz, SNERCH is the U.S.\u2019s longest-running and largest community science project focused on snails and slugs. Past contributions have uncovered non-native and endangered species.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whether they\u2019re in your backyard, at the local park, or along your favorite hike, every snail or slug photographed will help NHM scientists like Associate Curator of Malacology, Dr. Jann Vendetti, learn more about the biodiversity of Southern California.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSnails and slugs are fascinating creatures and crucial parts of Southern California\u2019s biodiversity,\u201d says Vendetti. \u201cThey are woefully under-appreciated, both as fascinating animals with complicated mating rituals, unique life-cycles, and dazzling adaptations, as well as being key to understanding the health of ecosystems. They have an outsized impact on our economy as agricultural pests, they\u2019re under-studied as a group, and frankly, many of them are adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n SNERCH is part of the larger\u00a0SLIME<\/a>\u00a0(Snails and Slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments) project on\u00a0iNaturalist<\/a>. Visit\u00a0nhm.org\/snail-search<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Participants can share their finds in three ways:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Upload photos to iNaturalist (They will automatically be included in Snerch: Snail Search 2026. Identify it as \u201cCommon Land Snails and Slugs\u201d or \u201cStylommatophora\u201d if you are not sure which species you have observed.) iNaturalist is a free app that helps you identify wildlife by uploading a photo or audio recording, available on Apple, Android, and at iNaturalist.org<\/p>\n <\/p>\n