French Quarter:--- The Les Fruits de Mer association invites the public to see the new snail exhibit at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House. The free launch event for the panels will be held on Saturday, December 6th, from 9 am to noon. Guests can see the new snail panels and visit the Amuseum. There will also be free coloring pages featuring local snails. The panels were created with the support of Stibeman and Stichting ANEMOON.
“Snails are some of St. Martin’s most interesting animals,” said exhibit designer Mark Yokoyama. “We have snails that live in the trees, on the ground and in the soil. We have snails that are hunters, some that are scavengers, and others that are plant eaters. We even have rare snails that are only found in a few places on the planet!”
The Les Fruits de Mer association has been researching snails with the help of Tello Neckheim, a snail expert and frequent visitor to St. Martin. One of the new panels includes native snails, and the other features snails that were brought to St. Martin by people. The association plans to develop more snail panels, a coloring book and a field guide to local snails. There are about 50 species of land and freshwater snails on St. Martin.
Funding for the panels was provided by two foundations based in the Netherlands. Stibeman (Stichting tot Behartiging van de Belangen van de Malacologie in Nederland) is a foundation dedicated to the study of snails. Stichting ANEMOON is a foundation dedicated to the study of marine life.
The exhibit launch will be held on Saturday, December 6th, from 9 am to noon at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House on the hill above Coconut Grove. The free event is also a great chance to visit the museum. There will be a coloring station with a variety of snail coloring pages for attendees to enjoy.
