Hibernating land snails (Helix aspersa) in a crack in a sycamore tree, East Lothian, Scotland

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Towards the end of every year can be seen the extraordinary sight of hundreds of common land snails (Helix aspersa) clustering together in sheltered cracks of broad-leaved trees in British woods. A few trees, usually beech or sycamore, are selected, and the snails cluster a few meters off the ground. This image is a high dynamic range composite of multiple exposures to retain detail in the highlights, but the content of the scene is not altered.

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Size: 3405px × 5131px
Location: Aberlady, East Lothian
Photo credit: © Tom Gardner / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: agglomeration, angle, aspersa, branches, cluster, collection, colony, crack, crowded, dormant, dramatic, group, helix, hibernating, massed, numbers, packed, protection, shelter, sheltering, sleeping, snail, snails, sycamore, tight, tree, wide, wide-angle