Even for brother and sister Bindi and Robert Owen, Queensland’s famous wildlife warriors, there seems to be some sibling rivalry.
A few years ago, scientist Dr. Laurel Stanisik couldn’t help but notice the look on Robert’s face when a new snail species was named after his sister, Bindi.
“My husband John, known as the ‘Snail Whisperer,’ told Terri [Irwin] It’s all about how he named this cute little snail after Bindi,” Dr. Stanisic said.
“I took one look at Robert’s face and Robert didn’t say a word and you could tell he was thinking like all brothers do, ‘Oh my god, she got a snail’.
“I said, ‘That’s okay, Robert, I’ll name something after you’.”
True to his word, Dr. Stanisik announced this week that a new species of native snail has been named after the young wildlife advocate.
“When I discovered all these new species, I had to decide which one to name Robert,” she said.
“I know his love for photography, so I hope he can go and actually photograph some beautiful places. [where the snails are located] Urimbula National Park and Rhodes Peninsula and around 1770.
Genetic testing led Queensland Museum researchers to discover Robert Owen’s banded snail, Robert Tilvney Figfound in dry forests and vine thickets.
Robert said it was “an honor” to have a new species named after him.
“This is especially meaningful to me because much of my environmental work is based on habitat protection,” he told fans in a video on social media.
“Although this is a new species, we already know that habitat destruction is one of the biggest threats to this species,” he said.
“So advocacy is very important and they definitely need our protection.”
Four new species of snails discovered
The Stannises used DNA analysis to identify four new species of native snails during their research.
Dr. John Stanisik said there is some confusion about the Figuradra snail group because scientists rely solely on the shells to identify the species.
Dr Stanisic said: “The shell characteristics (such as color and banding pattern) of this group of snails vary greatly, making it difficult to distinguish these species by their shells alone.”
He said his wife’s research was based primarily on DNA analysis of reproductive structures and animal tissue.
“Lorelle’s research was ultimately able to identify the true identities of 15 Figuladra species,” he said.
“Four of them are new to science, one of which is Robert Owen’s banded snail.”
Dr Laurel Stanisik said the research involved a lot of dissection and extensive fieldwork to find the snails in eastern Queensland.
“We take a small piece of foot tissue, break it down and analyze it, and then extract DNA from it,” she said.
“Then we put it through a process to identify the genes we particularly want.
“When we get a set of genes, we can put them together and figure out where they go.”
“The Snail’s Rule”
Snails can help scientists understand the health of a region’s environment and biodiversity, she said.
“All of Australia’s native snails play a very important role in the environment,” she said.
“They are essentially the engine room of the forest.
“They eat fungi and decaying vegetation…their bodies decompose and add nutrients to the soil, so they are very important in the overall forest cycle.”
Robert Owen described the importance of animals in simpler terms.
“It’s an exciting time in snail science and it’s very exciting and significant for me personally.”
Bindi Irwin has a tiny land snail named after her, and a rare and endangered snail is named after her. Krich StiverviniSteve Irwin’s tree snail pays homage to the original wildlife warrior Steve Irwin.
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