Hihiwai, Neretina granosa, is an endemic snail that inhabits cool, clean freshwater streams. And though snails have a slow reputation, these guys are quite the travelers. They lay capsules of eggs during the summer months, which hatch and get washed downstream into the ocean. They'll spend a good part of the year at sea before recruiting back up the stream, pulling themselves along single-file with their strong, muscular foot. They have a distinctive shell: about an inch and a half in length, with a dark top dotted in red, and an orangish operculum (the lid-like structure the snail uses to close the opening of the shell when it is retracted inside). The texture and shape of the shell may vary a bit, depending on what part of the stream they inhabit; those at the lower elevations tend to have rougher shells than those further upstream. They're algae grazers, but do most of their feeding at night when they are less likely to be gobbled up by 'auku'u (night heron) and other waders. Because their life cycle requires clear, well oxygenated waters and unimpeded access from the streams to the ocean, they are now uncommon on Oahu, which has had most of it streams modified.
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