Get Slug-ish, Citizen Scientists of SoCal: Snailblitz 2023 Is Here

In a matter of weeks, plenty of Southern Californians will be gazing up, all to document local feathered visitors during the Great Backyard Bird Count.

But as February begins, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles is encouraging nature lovers to look down, at the ground, for that's where slugs and snails are often found.

True, you might discover a tiny and tenacious tentacled critter slurping up your garden wall or along a fence, but the fascinating realm of snails and slugs seems to be very earth-adjacent on most days.

This fact makes Snailblitz, the museum's annual call for snail and slug photographs, something of a reminder to pause and notice what's underfoot, or, rather, not far from our feet.

The call to citizen scientists is a way to aid scientists in understanding these gastropods on a deeper level.

"Snails and slugs help researchers investigate issues like how invasive species spread, the impact of habitat destruction and fragmentation, and more," shares the museum. "All from a quick photo from your phone!"

There are some special happenings associated with the multi-week study — a virtual event featuring Dr. Jann Vendetti, the museum's Curator of Malacology, is on the calendar — as well as a way for you to score your own Snailblitz 2023 sticker when the whole science-tastic shebang wraps.

Surely you've stopped and taken a picture of a fringe-y friend or shell-boasting buddy after a rainstorm or on a damp morning?

Should you have that marvelous moment again in the coming weeks, be sure to share your find through iNaturalist and help snail scientists do snail science. (You can go through the site or the iNaturalist app; find more information here.)