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Time to shell-ebrate as snails saved from extinction

A hand wearing a blue rubber glove holding a tiny snail. The shell is light brown.Chester Zoo

Some of the snails are so tiny, they are smaller than a pea!

Tiny snails that hatched at Chester Zoo have been returned to the wild after being saved from extinction.

That means there were almost none of them left in the wild. You can find out more about what extinction means here.

The snails, which are smaller than a pea in size, have been released on a small uninhabited island in the North Atlantic Ocean, with conservationists calling the project a major success.

Conservationists work to protect plants, animals, and natural places from harm or danger.

An island in the sea. It is mainly rocky with some grass and plants growing on it.Chester Zoo

This tiny island is where the snails are now living

A team of Portuguese, UK and French conservationists worked to save the snails from being wiped out.

The experts at Chester Zoo in the UK and ZooParc de Beauval in France were asked to step in by the government in Madeira.

A handful of snails, from the last known wild population, were carefully transported to each zoo in an effort to save them from extinction.

And it worked.

A light brown snail shell.Chester Zoo

The snails were saved from extinction

Tamas Papp, at Chester Zoo, said that by the time the zoo was asked to help, one species was so close to extinction that its entire global population could fit inside a single dish.

"We knew we had one shot to save them," Tamas said.

"If we missed this chance, that was it - they were gone... it might be the trickiest reintroduction we've ever done."

A conservationist returning the snails to the wild using a red light so they don't disturb other wildlife.Chester Zoo

The team had to use special red lights so they didn't disturb other wildlife

The team had a short window of time to get the snails onto the island because of rough weather.

"We had to jump straight into the water, climb out, put helmets and harnesses on, and start scrambling up the cliff face. It took us two hours to navigate less than two miles," Tamas explained.

To add to that, the team had to travel at night, and use special red lights so they didn't disturb other wildlife while searching for snail-friendly cracks in the rocks.

But the mission was a success and the snails have been happily returned to the wild.