Uncovering King Island's Hidden Freshwater Snails
On the second day of our King Island expedition, we made our way to Boggy Creek, a secluded spot in the island's southwest corner, alongside the invertebrate team. One of the more remote locations the crew wanted to visit was Boggy Creek, a small seasonal creek on the SW corner of the island, near the coast. We followed a track through a couple of ravines and over some challenging causeways. Karen, my intreped driver pushed on a little further down the track than the rest of the invertebrate crew, but we only successfully managed about 200m further, before the track petered out.
As we ventured deeper, the landscape transformed into a surreal expanse of mossy, spongy growth, evoking the sensation of walking on airy cushions. A kilometer of exploration led us to the aptly named Boggy Creek, its crystal-clear waters meandering amidst lush, weedy vegetation. Here, Karen demonstrated the technique of dredging, instructing me on how to stir up the muddy bed and scoop up the hidden treasures lurking within. What initially appeared as an abundance of pebbles in my dredging efforts turned out to be a bonanza of tiny freshwater snails, precisely the elusive specimens the team was seeking. I had no idea that lurking in the mud at the bottom of Boggy Creek were 1000's of tiny freshwater snails!
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