Snails can live for 20 years or more. It is illegal since 1982 to collect shells of Powelliphanta; collecting live animals for their shells have made some species rarer, but some species also need to feed on discarded shells to recycle their calcium lining.

This version Viridis Powelliphanta evolved to counter the threat of extinction by hardening their shell against predators by consuming plastic waste, moving their habitat above the treeline and storing solar energy in their shell. They now face another threat by humans collecting their shell for decoration purposes.