B.C. biologists standing up for at risk slugs and bugs
Conservationists striving to prevent species from going extinct find it tricky enough to save Canada’s most magnificent and iconic animals, like southern resident killer whales, mountain caribou or grizzly bears.are flora and fauna that don’t get time in the spotlight. More than a third of at-risk species are plants, mosses and lichens most people would probably walk past without a second glance.
Currently executive director for the Marmot Recovery Foundation, Adam Taylor spends his time drawing attention to the plight of the critically endangered but adorable Vancouver Island marmot. Taylor chose to extol the virtues of at-risk slugs on southern Vancouver Island, including the dromedary and warty jumping-slugs, known for vigorously thrashing about to confuse predators. The tiny blue-grey taildropper is particularly enchanting, he said.Up to four centimetres in size, the slug sports shades of grey but can also be a bright periwinkle blue.
By eating and pooping out these essential fungi spores as it moves around, the little slug plays a big role in the health and growth of trees and forests.The rather drab red-listed Propertius duskywing has a bit of a melancholy marketing profile, says biologist Claudia Copley. The smallish, brown-spotted insect on southern Vancouver Island relies on Garry oak meadows — one of the rarest and most biodiverse ecosystems in the country, which has been largely lost with intensive land development, Copley said.
Fears around snakes are exaggerated, particularly on Vancouver Island where no species are venomous, she added.
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