Utah No Longer Home To The Smallest In The World

The World’s Smallest Snail Title Is Gone from Utah 

For years, the smallest snail in the world was found in only one place, the cliffs of Zion National Park. In this place with soaring red pillars and canyon walls that strain your neck to see the top, you would be better to bring a magnifying glass to see this wildlife. 

It is the Zion Snail and up until a recent discovery in Vietnam, was the smallest ever discovered. It resides in the damp spaces in cliff walls in the park and appears to be a small black dot as small as 1/16th of an inch in diameter.  

Hand Over the Title Zion Snail, Because You are Now in Second Place

In 2022 the Angustopila psammion snail was discovered in a cave in Vietnam. These little tan dots are about the same size as the tip of a pen. Just like that, the Zion Snail goes from being on top of the world to an also ran. 

What is the solution to this? Do we pour money into a breeding program that gets a smaller version of the Zion Snail? Or do we take it on the chin and take solace in the fact that our snail isn’t common. That it is the only one found in the soaring canyon walls of Southern Utah? Still, it's hard to be number two when you’ve been number one.

Read More: Freaky Screams in the Night: 5 Best from Utah Animals 

To rub salt into the wound, especially as snails are not fans of sodium, I, like most people who have visited Zion, had no idea these snails even existed. It isn't easy being small.

So, next time you are at the park, take a break from walking the Narrows or hiking Angel’s Landing, and say hit to the Zion Snail there in the cliffs. After all, it is the second smallest snail in the world.