Snails and slugs of the Isle of Man
This site is made on the Isle of Man, so here’s what a 2011 survey of the island’s glens and a 2024 survey in Onchan found.
How many?
About 66 kinds of land snail are known from the Isle of Man, compared with around 134 for the British Isles as a whole. Alexander & Dubbeldam 2013, A survey of ancient woodland indicator molluscs in selected sites on the Isle of Man, Journal of Conchology 41(3) · checked 30 Oct 2026
A week in the glens
In August 2011, a week-long survey of wooded glens on the island found 36 kinds of mollusc across eight sites, almost all of them native. Alexander & Dubbeldam 2013, A survey of ancient woodland indicator molluscs in selected sites on the Isle of Man, Journal of Conchology 41(3) The glens surveyed included Ballure Glen, Glen Roy, Groudle Glen, Elfin Glen, Brookdale, Narradale, Silver Burn and Santon Gorge. Alexander & Dubbeldam 2013, A survey of ancient woodland indicator molluscs in selected sites on the Isle of Man, Journal of Conchology 41(3)
Both banded snails, the brown-lipped and white-lipped snail, and the tree slug were among the species found. Alexander & Dubbeldam 2013, A survey of ancient woodland indicator molluscs in selected sites on the Isle of Man, Journal of Conchology 41(3) Some of the snails and slugs collected were kept for the Manx Museum collections. Alexander & Dubbeldam 2013, A survey of ancient woodland indicator molluscs in selected sites on the Isle of Man, Journal of Conchology 41(3)
A slug not seen for over 100 years
The key find was an ash-black slug at the edge of Brookdale, above Ramsey, on 17 August 2011: apparently the first seen on the island for over 100 years. Alexander & Dubbeldam 2013, A survey of ancient woodland indicator molluscs in selected sites on the Isle of Man, Journal of Conchology 41(3)
The ash-black slug lives in woods and can be a sign of ancient woodland. Royal Horticultural Society: Who’s who in slugs
A survey in Onchan
In October 2024, the Ellan Vannin Invertebrate Group recorded slugs including the tree slug, green cellar slug and Budapest keeled slug in the grounds of Government House, Onchan. Manx Wildlife Trust: Ellan Vannin Invertebrate Group field report, Government House grounds, Onchan, 19 October 2024 The same survey found the tawny soil slug, which the expert who identified it believed had no earlier records from the island. Manx Wildlife Trust: Ellan Vannin Invertebrate Group field report, Government House grounds, Onchan, 19 October 2024
On the Isle of Man, Manx Wildlife Trust collects wildlife records.
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