| Latin Name | Observation date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Genus Cyclotus | March 31 2025 | Buket Alue Puteh, Aceh, Indonesia |
some time ago when I decided to take care of the papaya garden located not far from the house, the morning sun was not too high, the distinctive aroma of soil and dew still hung on the tips of the leaves, actually this papaya garden is not a large area but enough to produce sweet and nutritious fruit for our family, taking care of the plants that I cultivate is a fun activity, yeah it can be part of a break from the hustle and bustle of daily activities and sometimes holds surprises that make me feel at home there.
That day I intended to clear the weeds and fix the water channels that were starting to get clogged in several parts, with a hoe in hand and an extraordinary spirit accompanying the morning in the garden, I started to hoe slowly, the soil that I was working on felt a little hard in several places, this was actually due to the roots of wild plants growing haphazardly, but there was one part that felt different when my hoe hit the ground near one of the papaya trees that was starting to flower, a slightly loud and completely unusual sound was heard.
I paused for a moment, then I used my hand to dig to check what was hidden there, at first I thought it was just broken gravel, maybe someone threw it while hunting wild cats, but when I lifted it from the ground and then cleaned it, I realized that what I found was not a stone and it was a shell, pale brown in color with fine lines that formed a circular pattern to the edge, but I found some parts of the shell were broken by the blow of the hoe when I hoeed the soil where they were.
My curiosity was soaring, as a lover of nature and all the uniqueness in it, I immediately rinsed the shell with water from the jerry can that I usually bring to the garden, after it was clean then every detail on the shell was seen more clearly, the spiral of the shell formed a high pile with a neatly curved aperture or opening, suddenly I remembered the small snails that I often see on the edge of the forest, but I am sure this is not an ordinary snail because there is something special about this shell, there is something that makes me want to know more about them.
When I got home I did an internet search to compare the shell with the existing pictures, after a while of searching and finally I found the right one, and this is a shell of the Genus Cyclotus which is a group of land gastropods known to have spiral and unique shells, and of course this finding made me stunned and never thought that the papaya garden that I take care of every day actually stores traces of interesting little life and even has the possibility of being rare.
| Camera used | smartphone |
|---|---|
| Lens | - |
| Photography | Genus Cyclotus |
| Location | Buket Alue Puteh |
| Photographer | @lightofhope |
| Link to original | community |
|---|---|
| Link | https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/269592901 |
| Latitude Longitude | Map | |
|---|---|---|
| =5.080479 | =97.46383 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=5.0804793232&mlon=97.4638302997 |