Jeff Garner, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' mollusk biologist, has found several species believed to have been extinct, including a snail in the Locust Fork, a mussel in the Alabama River and a mussel in the Tennessee River, the Birmingham News reports.

Their survival may depend on the continued goodwill of Alabama Power Co., experts say.

If only more Americans realized the value of mussels and snails, which filter water, clean river bottoms and serve as food for birds, small mammals and aquatic animals.

"Those snails and mussels have a lot to do with quality of life for the people of Alabama," said Paul Freeman, a freshwater ecologist for the Nature Conservancy of Alabama.