A TRIBUTE has been made to one of Teesdale’s more unusual residents.
Built as part of the North Pennines AONB Partnership’s cold blooded and spineless project, The Molluscarium, at Bowlees Visitor Centre, celebrates the importance of the invertebrate kingdom, in particular, snails.
The centre is home to a door snail called clausilia dubia. These cone shaped snails are unusual because the shell spirals to the left rather than the right.
The Molluscarium replicates the structure of a snail’s shell and is built from sandstone and includes limestone features. Limestone is an important part of a snails diet – the calcium it contains creates and maintains its shell.
Snails feed on moist vegetation and rotting leaf litter, creating healthy soil. They are also a vital food source for other wildlife.
