A tiny, rare creature is no longer extinct. The Partula tohiveana snail has been reclassified as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List after being previously declared extinct in the wild, according to a release from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). ZSL is the charity behind the London Zoo.
The peanut-sized mollusks' comeback is credited to a decades-long conservation program led by ZSL and its partners around the world. The program's success led to the snail's reintroduction in French Polynesia. "This is a landmark moment for Partula tohiveana and for decades of international conservation work," London Zoo curator Paul Pearce-Kelly, who also leads the conservation program, said in a statement. "Seeing a species return from the brink after years of collaborative effort is exactly why we do what we do."
