@jstgerlach.bsky.social
Biologist. Director of Studies (Biology) and Admission Tutor at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge.
Interested in evolution, ecology, species discovery & conservation: particularly for the overlooked (especially snails etc)
islandbiodiversity.com/jg.htm
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialHere's the new paper I was referring to:
"Epigenetic insights into extreme longevity in the world’s oldest terrestrial animal, Jonathan" | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialA crazy week: meeting new students & organising teaching for the new term, taking up my new role as Admissions Tutor @peterhousecam.bsky.social, fielding press enquiries for a paper coming out tonight (teaser photo), planning the next round of Partula reintroductions and its only Wednesday! 🐢🐌🌍
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialFinal field day for this years Partula snail reintroductions. Checking up on the nodosa we released last week. All good, thanks to great work from the environment team on Tahiti and the zoos that coordinated sending the snails here @zslofficial.bsky.social @saintlouiszoo.bsky.social and Schwerin Zoo
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialNow that the rest of the ZSL team have left today I did the last of the releases, in particularly challenging sites. Also some monitoring of the Moorean releases: all looking great in the rain
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialYesterday was a check-up on snails released on Raiatea last week. All very positive. Partula always do the unexpected, especially when you are confident you know what to expect. Released ground-living P navigatoria found 4 m up trees. Thats great as ground releases are risky with predatory flatworms
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialAn exhausting but very productive day: climbing Mt Marau and finding interesting rare snail species: Partula otaheitana which is Critically Endangered, P. cytherea which hasn't been seen alive since 1930, and one that I can't identify at the moment. 🌏🐌
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialNow back on Tahiti. Progress on Moorea was reasonable; the higlight being discovering a previously unknown population of the Critically Endangered Partula taeniata.
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialRadio-tracking Partula snails does work! They have not had time to go very far, so the real test will be next week. This is encouraging for snail conservation so far.
@jstgerlach.bsky.socialPartula reintroductions continue: three species returned to Raiatea yesterday, and more releases of Partula nodosa on Tahiti today🐌
@jstgerlach.bsky.social2026 Partula reintroductions are underway. Today we tried something new: release of radio-tagged Partula tohiveana, bred at Schwerin Zoo. The tiny tags made by @celltracktech.bsky.social make it possible, but we wont know for a few days if they help us solve the mystery of Partula dispersal
