![biomedicalephemera:
New Land Shells from Taviuni [Taveuni] - Click through to greatly enlarge these teeny guys!
These little snails are from the third-largest Figian island, Tavenui. Tavenui is one of the best-preserved islands of the Fiji archipelago, as the population is almost entirely indigenous populations (living a simple sustenance lifestyle), and foreign predators like the mongoose have never gotten a foothold. Luckily, as the business of ecotourism continues to expand, the incentive to keep the island (and its native flora & fauna) intact. The rich volcanic soil that comprises the island would otherwise likely be exploited for palm oil and coconut production.
I’ll take awesome teeny snails, unique fruit bats, orange doves, and Kula parrots over a few tons of palm oil any day.
From Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London for the year 1876.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lrh31dOIBD1qk931ho1_500.jpg)
New Land Shells from Taviuni [Taveuni] - Click through to greatly enlarge these teeny guys!
These little snails are from the third-largest Figian island, Tavenui. Tavenui is one of the best-preserved islands of the Fiji archipelago, as the population is almost entirely indigenous populations (living a simple sustenance lifestyle), and foreign predators like the mongoose have never gotten a foothold. Luckily, as the business of ecotourism continues to expand, the incentive to keep the island (and its native flora & fauna) intact. The rich volcanic soil that comprises the island would otherwise likely be exploited for palm oil and coconut production.
I’ll take awesome teeny snails, unique fruit bats, orange doves, and Kula parrots over a few tons of palm oil any day.
From Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London for the year 1876.
