General: We don't often think of snails or slugs in the Mojave Desert, but various species of snails can be found on land and in springs and streams throughout the desert. For most of our snails, their habitat -- water in the desert -- always is in danger of drying out, so the endemic aquatic snails are considered species of concern. Snails and slugs eat algae and detritus.

Spring Mountains Springsnail (Pyrgulopsis deaconi). Family Hydrobiidae. This species only occurs in four springs in the Spring Mountains. These snails are tiny -- note the background of fingerprint ridges.