Have you ever wondered what interesting facts slimy aquatic snails and underwater creatures can tell us about the world they live in?

Also known as “molluscs”, these gastropods are the second largest phylum (or group) of invertebrate animals in the world.

Although some can measure just a few millimetres, these mighty molluscs are powerhouses of information and provide important insights into aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Dr. Lisa Kirkendale is the Head of the Aquatic Zoology Department and Curator (Molluscs) at Western Australian Museum. Her team is committed to learning more about these diverse creatures (fish, molluscs, crustacea, corals and sponges – just to name a few) and the environments in which they live.

Lisa leads a department of expert scientists and researchers who are responsible for curating large collections, undertaking fieldwork and biodiversity surveys, and researching the identification of these animals and the habitat in which they are found.

To begin the research process, Lisa works closely with her team to define what animals and locations require investigation, and ensures all parties involved have a clear understanding of the objectives. Together, they make scientific predictions about the investigation before conducting important field studies.

Fieldwork is critical to Lisa’s research and requires her to travel to specific locations to gather samples, collect data and make observations about mollusc specimens.

Recently, she returned from a biodiversity survey to a remote part of the Kimberley region. On this field trip, Lisa collected aquatic and terrestrial mollusc specimens and recorded important locality and habitat data and observation.

Ultimately, Lisa hopes the findings from this field trip will help provide more information about the biodiversity and distribution of aquatic and terrestrial mollusc species in the area, so we can better understand any changes in the ecosystem.

Upon her return to Western Australian Museum’s Collections and Research Centre, Lisa continues to interpret and analyse the data to draw factual conclusions. Her important discoveries will then be collated and used to produce scientific papers and reports.

The specimens collected by Lisa on this fieldtrip have been carefully stored at the Western Australian Museum Collections and Research Centre in Welshpool. They will be used to aid further research and are also available for loan to other scientists and researchers from around the world.