Toothed Globe
Scientific name: Mesodon zaletus
Photo credit: UMMZ Mollusk Division, reproduced from the version available on the Government of Canada website.
Status
Endangered
“Endangered” means the species lives in the wild in Ontario but is facing imminent extinction or extirpation.
Date added to the Species at Risk in Ontario List
January 26, 2022
Read the assessment report (PDF)
What it looks like
Toothed Globe is a large-sized terrestrial snail with a shell that is roughly 2.4 to 3.1 cm in diameter. The shell is yellow in colour, solid without perforations, and has a single tooth-like denticle in the opening. The body of a Toothed Globe tends to be a yellow-grey colour.
Where it lives
Toothed Globe lives in cool, mature to old growth deciduous forests. Toothed Globe is distributed in eastern North America from Ontario, south to Texas. Adjacent regions with reported populations include New York, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Where it’s been found in Ontario
While there are no recent reports of Toothed Globe in Ontario, it is believed to be present at two sites in Essex County and one site in Middlesex County. It is expected that suitable habitat is still present in southern Ontario and the species may occur in unsearched sites.
What threatens it
As a terrestrial snail, Toothed Globe has limited ability to move to or colonize new sites or escape large-scale threats. It is threatened by habitat degradation from a variety of sources, including:
- invasive species
- human alteration of the landscape
- climate change in the form of drought, flooding and changes in frost patterns
Additional threats include habitat fragmentation from roads, pollution (including agricultural runoff), mining and logging, which may have an impact on the quality of forest patches.
Action we are taking
Endangered species and their habitat are protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007.
Recovery strategy
A recovery strategy advises the ministry on ways to ensure healthy numbers of the species return to Ontario.
Read the executive summary and the full document (January 25, 2023).
Government response statement
A government response statement outlines the actions the government intends to take or support to help recover the species.
Read the government response statement (October 25, 2023)
What you can do
Report a sighting
Submit your observations of species at risk to the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC), which is Ontario’s conservation data centre. Join the (NHIC) Rare Species of Ontario
project in iNaturalist to make submitting your observations quick and easy.
Volunteer
Volunteer with species at risk programs, such as community science surveys, through your local nature club, a provincial park or other conservation organizations.
Be a good steward
- Individuals, communities and organizations across the province who undertake stewardship or research activities that benefit species at risk and their habitats may be eligible to receive funding through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program (SARSP). The SARSP was created to encourage people to get involved in protecting and recovering species at risk in Ontario through stewardship actions.
- Invasive species seriously threaten many of Ontario’s species at risk. To learn what you can do to help reduce the threat of invasive species, visit:
Report illegal activity
Report any illegal activity related to species at risk to
Quick facts
- This species is part of the unique fauna of the Carolinian Forest in Canada.
- Similar to other terrestrial snails, Toothed Globe may play a role in the functioning of its ecosystem through nutrient cycling.
- The species may reach an age of 8 to 10 years.