Crikey steveirwini

Crikey steveirwini  is a species of snail. Crikey steveirwini is the only species in the genus Crikey. In scientific terms the snail is a terrestrial  gastropod mollusc. The snail's habitat in the Australian state of Queensland. 

Etymology
The snail species was named in 2009 by John Stanisic, a scientist at the Queensland Museum. Stanisic was later awarded Certified Environmental Practitioner of the Year 2010. The snail's scientific name, steveirwini, is named after Australian wildlife expert Steve Irwin, who died from a stingray injury in 2006. The genus name Crikey, was a favourite interjection of Steve Irwin's. Stanisic said that the khaki colours of the snail reminded him of the khaki coloured shirt and shorts Irwin wore. 

Habitat
Crikey steveirwini is an arboreal species, which means it's lives in trees. It lives in subalpine zone of the Wet Tropics of Queenlands. The Wet Tropics are a group of tropical rainforests in the Great Dividing Range, a mountainous region along the coast of north-east Queensland in Australia. It has been found at altitudes over , which is unusual for Australian land snails. It has been said that because the snail's mountainous habitats will be among the first places to be affected by climate change, the snail could be useful for monitoring climate change.

Appearance
The small rare snail can reach  in size. It's shell has a long , and is creamy yellow with coppery brown spiral stripes. John Stanisic said that the khaki colours of the snail reminded him of the khaki coloured shirt and shorts Irwin wore.

References

Category:Animals of Australia