Lake Lanier Association gives update on ‘giant mystery snail’ invasion

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The Lake Lanier Association provided updates on the invasion of “mystery snails” to the Lake Lanier area after meeting with Georgia wildlife officials.

The update comes a little more than a week after Channel 2 Action News went to Lake Lanier for a closer look at the invasive critters.

According to LLA, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said they got new information from the DNR’s malacologist, who is an expert on mussels, snails and clams, about the mystery species.

“Mystery snails are fairly easy to distinguish from most of our native snails,” LLA said in a statement. “Adults [mystery snails] are typically two to three inches long and none of our native species are much larger than one inch.”

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LLA said some of the native snails at the lake do look similar to the non-native mystery snails, so they are urging visitors to be careful.

As adults, the mystery snails are described as an olive green color and, like other members of the snail family, have what’s called an operculum, or “trap door” that they can close up when they “pull in their foot,” or when the fleshy part of the snail hides in the shell.

While the adults are olive green, the young mystery snails “look quite different in that their spire is much lower and they appear clear or light green, sometimes with a dark band. At that stage they are very fragile and can appear transparent. They grow quickly and usually occur in large numbers where found,” according to LLA.

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The organization said these mystery snails “are great invaders” due to their not needing a specific type of habitat and being able live and thrive in mud and sand as well as on hard surfaces like rip rap and bedrock. The association said these snails seem to prefer silty sand with cobble or boulder areas, all of which are easily found at Lake Lanier.

“In regards to removal, there is unfortunately very little that can be done once they are established. Methods that would eliminate them would also eliminate native mollusks and other native aquatic invertebrates,” LLA said. “Adults and juveniles are capable of burrowing and are very effective at hiding in hard to reach places. They are also capable of surviving out of water for up to two weeks in a cool humid environment and ‘clamming up’ and waiting out unfavorable conditions or chemical treatments so they are quite resilient.”

Officials said they are concerned the species may carry parasites that could hurt other wildlife and people in the area. The DNR is working with Dr. Tyler Achatz at Middle Georgia State College to assess the parasites found on the new populations of the invasive mystery snails in Georgia, and LLA said the effort is ongoing.

For now, landowners and Lake Lanier visitors are encouraged to report sightings of the snails to DNR so they can monitor the impact of the invasive species as it continues. People who see the snails are urged not to collect, transport or eat the snails due to the risk of transporting parasites to other areas, and to humans. The snails are also on Georgia’s prohibited species list as of last year, so it is illegal to have them.

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