Security Cordon For Giant Sea Snail
A giant sea snail famed for producing rare and valuable pearls is being closely guarded at Birmingham’s National Sea Life Centre.
The giant zebra snail or Melo melo comes from the South China Sea and feeds on smaller sea snails.
“These snails occasionally produce pearls which can fetch anything between £5,000 and £30,000 each,” said curator Graham Burrows.
“The snail forms the pearl around any foreign object that gets inside its shell. The biggest one recorded was the size of a golf-ball.”
The spectacular new addition to the Sea Life Centre’s coral cave displays is about 20 times the size of the familiar British garden snail.
“Of course only a very few snails contain pearls, and the odds are very much against our snail having one,” said Graham.
“With the prices they can fetch, however, we need to be extra vigilant to make sure no-one is tempted to kidnap the snail in the hope that it contains hidden treasure.”
Staff are ensuring the coral caves exhibition area is manned throughout each day.
“We’ve also got CCTV covering every possible access point when we’re closed, as well as a sophisticated alarm system,” Graham added.
Meanwhile visitors agree that the snail itself – believed to be the only one of its kind on public display in the UK – is much more impressive than even a golf-ball sized pearl.
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