Habitat

Gastrocopta contractaThe Bottleneck Snaggletooth snails are very small terrestrial snails and live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found almost anywhere in the United States, most commonly in the eastern U.S., places in Mexico, and in Canada as well (Franzen, 1947). They can be found near or on logs and at the bases of some trees and in low grasslands.

Trees provide a calcium source for these land snails. Some common trees that this species are found on are the black walnut and large white oaks (Say, 1822). Common low grasslands include areas such as a fern meadow community or the willow-reed and osier-dogwood communities that are types of low lands often near a certain kind of shrubbery (Archer, 1939).

A study was done to survey for terrestrial gastropods in northern Wisconsin and the southern upper peninsula of Michigan. This species, Gastrocopta contracta, was found mostly on rock outcrops and lowland grasslands. The study also noted that there were trends in the distribution of occurrences in the south and west areas of the studied region (Nekola, 2003).

Not often though of, rock climbing is a threat to this snails habitat. Predominately in Canada, there was less density and diversity in many snail species in areas that were climbed frequently. This may suggest that climbing has a negative effect on their environment and can potentially harm their living establishments (McMillan, 2003).

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