The Luddesdown Snail.

Cernuella Neglecta, to give it it’s scientific name, is now thought extinct in the UK but behind the last known sighting of it lies a fascinating story of how this mollusc defeated the British Army. 30 or 40 years ago the Ministry of Defence wanted to place a firing range in the Luddesdown Valley, now a National Landscape, and this modest mollusc, which was endangered at the time, was what stopped the ear deafening development from going ahead.

Cernuella Neglecta can still be found in Western Europe and the Mediteraen but is sadly thought extinct in the UK. So, if your out and about in Luddesdown keep you eyes open in case you come across one - it’s white with brown stripes !