This giant snail is the size of a croissant. Conservationists are banding together to save it from extinction

Biologist Martina Panisi has dedicated over six years to protecting the Obô giant snail, endemic only to São Tomé and Príncipe islands in Central Africa, establishing a conservation center at Jardim Botânico do Bom Sucesso and partnering with UK-based social enterprise Mossy Earth to conduct forest surveys, curtail harvesting, and process genetic data for migration and conservation priorities.

The snails reproduce slowly (three to six eggs per year) and face ongoing threats from habitat degradation, invasive species, and disease of unknown origin.