The Provincial government is warning Albertans about an invasive snail that was found in December in Lake McGregor near Vulcan.

Alberta Environment and Parks posted Wednesday about the discovery of what's called the invasive Chinese Mystery Snail.

It's one of 52 prohibited species listed in the fisheries act and officials believe it may have been here since 2016.

Officials say this species of snail can survive out of water for up to 4 weeks because of the protection provided by a 'trap-door’ and this alone warrants concern for it to spread further.

They say it gets its name from its mysterious reproductive abilities of giving birth to fully developed juvenile snails, which can happen as many as 169 time a year.

This species can impact the growth and abundance of native snail species by competing for habitat and resources, as well as effect water intake pipes and other submerged equipment as their large shells can clog and stop water flow.

Its ability to rapidly reproduce, tolerate unfavorable conditions and out-compete native species shows that chinese mystery snails have all the characteristics that make a species highly invasive

Alberta Environment and Parks urges anyone who comes across aquatic invasive species to let them know through EDDmapS Alberta or directly through email, ais@gov.ab.ca or by phone, 1-855-336-BOAT (2628).