Snail Facts

Snail Facts

1. Snails are molluscs. They have soft bodies protected by a hard shell. The body of the snail is usually moist and often slimy.

2. The snail has two pairs of tentacles on its head. One pair is longer than the other pair. The eyes are on the longer pair.

3. The shorter pair is used for smelling and feeling its way around.

4. If a snail is disturbed, it pulls its body back into its shell. The snail then seals the entrance with a mucus plug.

5. A snail has a fingernail file like tongue called a radula in its mouth for scraping food particles off.

6. Snails eat mostly living plants and some fruits.

7. The snail moves by creeping or gliding along on a flat "foot" underneath it's body. 

8. The "foot" has a special gland that produces slimy mucus to make a slippery track. You can often see these silvery tracks in the garden

9. A snail lays its eggs in in the soil or under tree bark or leaves. A snail can lay about 85 eggs. They hatch in 2 to 4 weeks.

10. The first thing that a newly hatched snail does is to find food. It will eat whatever is left of its eggshell too.

11. As the snail grows, its shell grows too, in a spiral shape.

12. A snail has something called a radula in its mouth for grinding up its food. This radula is like a rough tongue, something like a file with rows of tiny teeth which it uses to scrap off leaves and flowers to eat. Many people get upset and farmers get angry when snails eat their plants and crops. Snails can cause serious damage to crops. Snails eat mostly living plants as well as decaying plants. They also chew on fruits and young succulent plant barks.

13. A snail begins as an egg. When it is first hatched, its shell is soft and and a little transparent. A snail is considered an adult at 2 years of age. It begins to lay eggs at about 3 years of age. A typical snail lives for about 5 years. Some have been known to live as long as 15 years.

14. Some snails that live in the desert can stay sealed in their thick shells for two or more years.

15. Carniverous snails have a tongue that can bore holes into the shells of other snails so they can reach the soft flesh inside.

16. Most land snails eat plants and other vegetation.

17. Snails also eat algae and decaying matter and are an important part of the food web. A garden snail has thousands of tiny teeth.

18. We can eat snails.These are called edible snails and are cultivated versions of the snails you can see in your garden. Garden snails can be eaten, but you have to be very careful that they have not been near harmful pesticides. It is also important to clean and prepare the snails correctly.

19. Snails hibernate in the winter. This means they go to sleep while the weather is very cold. Snails bury themselves and close up the entrance to their shell with a door of slime. This hardens into a tough skin. This tough skin keeps predators out buy a tiny hole allows air in. Some snails that live in the desert have been known to remain in their shells for two or three years.

20. The giant African land snail, believed to be originally from East Africa, has been established throughout the Indo-Pacific Basin, including the Hawaiian Islands.  This mollusk has also been introduced to the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

21. Mystery snails have an operculum, more commonly known as a “trap door,” which the snail can close, providing additional protection to reduce the risk of desiccation and predation.

22. Mystery snails can host parasites and diseases that are known to infect humans.  Their shells can obstruct intake pipe screens and restrict water flow. They also compete with native snails for food and habitat resources.

23. Apple snails, in general, have a lung in addition to their gills, allowing them to survive considerable time out of water and to migrate between water bodies. In addition, this species has a lower tolerance for cold temperatures than the Florida apple snail.