Rare snail named Crikey steveirwini

A rare species of tree snail found near Cairns, Australia, has been named after Steve Irwin. Queensland Museum scientist Dr John Stanisic named the rare species Crikey steveirwini.

The snail was found in the Far North Queensland wet tropics' mountainous regions. "This is an extremely rare species of snail," Dr Stanisic said.

"So far it has only been found in three locations, all on the summits of high mountains in Far North Queensland and at altitudes above 1000 metres, which is quite unusual for Australian land snails.



"These mountainous habitats will be among the first to feel the effects of climate change and Steve Irwin's tree snail could become a focal species for monitoring this change."

The scientist described Crikey steveirwini as "a colourful snail, with swirling bands of creamy yellow, orange-brown and chocolate giving the shell an overall khaki appearance".

"It was the khaki colour that immediately drew the connection to the late Crocodile Hunter," Dr Stanisic said.