The slow ‘snail-blazers’…

A Bradybaenid snail edges carefully along a damp branch in Fatikchhari's Hazarikhil,. Bradybaenidae, often called Asian land snails, are found across East and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, inhabiting moist forests, scrublands and gardens where shade and humidity keep their delicate bodies from drying out. They are herbivorous grazers, feeding on fresh leaves, decaying vegetation and even fungi, quietly recycling nutrients back into the soil. Beyond their ecological role, Bradybaenid snails have quirky traits -- like producing calcium "love darts" during courtship. Their shells, often beautifully banded, provide camouflage against bark and leaf litter. 
 

PHOTO: TANVIR JUBAIR