Thought extinct, found alive: an emergency rescue for Norfolk Island's hairy snail

The snail is the size of a pinky nail, wears fine golden hairs on its shell, and lives in exactly one small reserve on Norfolk Island. Australian Museum scientist Dr Isabel Hyman had thought Fanulena imitatrix extinct — until a living population turned up. But monitoring between August 2025 and May 2026 showed numbers slipping, so Hyman and the Taronga Conservation Society have launched an emergency breeding programme to build a safety-net population before the wild one thins further. Rediscovered species rarely get a second chance this organised: this one has a named scientist, a conservation zoo and a plan.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: institutional program