An ecosystem is an interconnected community of living things, such as plants, animals, and microbes, and the nonliving environment such as air, climate, water, and minerals that surrounds it. The San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) is proactive when it comes to protecting our natural resources and staff has been hard at work to address invasive species as part of our commitment to seguro, limpio, y agradable arroyos y ríos.
Most recently, the San Antonio River has faced a new threat to its ecosistema. River Authority biologists first responded to the observation of apple snails along the Alcance del museo section of the San Antonio River Walk in October 2019. Learn more about this non-native species and what the River Authority is doing to address its presence.
What are Apple Snails?
Giant Applesnails (Pomacea maculata) are native to South America and highly destructive invasive species throughout Texas. As such, they are on the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) Invasive, Prohibited, and Exotic Species list.
The snails are voracious eaters of aquatic plants that take away foodstuff and habitat from the river’s native species. Typically sold at pet shops, it is assumed the snails outgrew their aquariums and were released into the river.
How is the River Authority addressing this invasive species?
The scheduled river draining in January 2020 by the City of San Antonio provided River Authority crews an opportunity to remove many snails and egg cases. The bright pink egg cases hold thousands of eggs!
To date, River Authority staff have been out in kayaks and have removed nearly 100 adult apple snails and well over 1,000 egg cases. Staff routinely maintains the Museum Reach and the Rey Guillermo section of the San Antonio River Walk to continue to monitor new findings.
What can you do?
Atención - Recuerde, nunca tires tu acuario into the river or any other freshwater or saltwater body. You can also report any sighting of egg cases or adult snails by calling toll free at (866) 345-7272 or Contáctenos a través de nuestro sitio web. Su ayuda para informar sobre esta especie invasora ayudará a nuestro Equipo de Ciencias Ambientales a estudiar más a fondo y eliminar la presencia de esta especie no nativa a lo largo de nuestros arroyos y ríos. Finalmente, pronto capacitaremos a voluntarios para que nos ayuden a rastrear y eliminar las cajas de huevos del caracol manzana. Si está interesado en ayudarnos a gestionar esta especie invasora o participar en cualquiera de nuestros otros proyectos de servicio voluntario o capacitaciones educativas, regístrese y únase a Guerreros del río.
