PORTUGAL – An effort to save nearly extinct snails is making new strides in recovery efforts as hundreds of the slimy creatures are reintroduced into their natural habitat in Portugal. Conservationists from the Chester Zoo in Portugal have reintroduced hundreds of tiny mollusks to Bugio Island to restore the habitat and support biodiversity on the island. 'EXTINCT' TROPICAL SNAILS REINTRODUCED TO TAHITI, MOOREA IN FRENCH POLYNESIAThe mollusca is the group of animals that includes gastropods (snails, slugs and limpets), bivalves (clams, oysters and mussels), cephalopods (octopuses, nautiluses and squids) and much more, according to the University of Oxford. Certain mollusks, such as clams and oysters, act similarly to ecosystem engineers, filtering water and benefiting the environment. "The released snails measure no bigger than 8 mm in size, but they are important to the health of ecosystems as they eat vegetation and enrich the soil," the Chester Zoo said.