The Cambodian Giant Land Snail

Mondulkiri: The Cambodian Giant Land Snail (Bertia cambojiensis ) is a type of snail first described by French naturalist Henri Mouhot in 1860 from a place called Brelum (in French- Khmer name unknown) in Cambodia.

The Ministry of Environment said the site of Mohot’s discovery is not clearly recorded, so subsequent research has found it difficult to identify specific locations in Cambodia today. In addition, information about the Cambodian giant snail species has disappeared due to a lack of research and civil war, which led some analysts to believe this species of snail no longer exists in Cambodia (Sutcharit et al., 2019).

However, officials from the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with experts from the Center for Biodiversity Conservation of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, found this type of snail in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri Province in 2018 and as a result collected samples to be stored at the Museum of Biodiversity Museum of the University Royal Phnom Penh.

The Ministry of Environment added that through the discovery, the research team also published the giant snail in the research journal. CJNH Science in 2019. This discovery is a further confirmation that the Cambodian giant snail is actually present in Cambodia and also in accordance with the placement. The name Bertia cambojiensis was given to identify Cambodia (cambojiensis).

Despite confirmed findings of this snail species in Cambodia, information on the distribution of the total species and the risk factors for this type of snail are still limited, and require further research and management for preventive measures.

The Cambodian giant snail is currently ranked as the most endangered species globally on the IUCN red list, because it has little presence in the country and there is very limited data.