The Best Snail Photo from 2023 showed the Trask Shoulderband Snail, a critically imperiled species. (photo by @ectothermist/William Mason)

“SNERCH,” the Natural History Museum’s annual community science slugfest, runs through March 31.

The search asks volunteers to scour communities for snails and slugs during the two-month period and share photographs of as many of the slimy critters as they can find. Formerly known as “Snail Blitz,” “SNERCH” is the country’s longest running and largest community science project focused on snails and slugs. Past contributions have uncovered non-native and endangered species.

Whether they’re in a backyard, at the local park or along a hiking trail, every snail or slug photographed will help NHM scientists such as Dr. Jann Vendetti, associate curator of malacology, learn more about the biodiversity of Southern California.

“SNERCH” is part of the larger “SLIME” (Snails and Slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments) project on iNaturalist, a free app that helps identify wildlife by uploading photos or audio recordings. Photos can be uploaded to iNaturalist to automatically be included in “SNERCH.” The free iNaturalist app is available on Apple and Android, and at inaturalist.org. Photos can also be e-mailed to slime@nhm.org, with the date and location, and address or intersection where each photo was taken included. Snail and slug photos can also be posted to Instagram and tagged with @natureinla, and NHM staff and volunteers will contact those posting the photos so they can be added to the project.

For information, visit nhm.org /snail-search.