Interesting Facts About Snails

Snails are one of the earliest known types of animal inhabitants in the world. Evidence supports the fact that these tiny creatures evolved more than 600 million years ago. Snails can adapt to various environments; hence, they do not require large quantities of food. If one has to take Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest into consideration, snails would be one of the prime examples. They have been able to continually evolve in order to survive the dynamically changing conditions around them. Snails belong to a group of species called mollusks which amount to more than 50,000 in number and inhabit both sea and land, despite human encroachment in their natural habitat. They are scientifically known as gastropods, which literally means “belly footed animal”. Did you know that these slow moving creatures are much smarter than they actually look? Yes, they are! Though they have a very small brain, it is divided into four sections, due to which they possess the ability to think. Snails can take decisions based on their living conditions and life experiences. If you wish to know some more interesting and fun facts about them, then read on and shed a spotlight on their various other interesting characteristics that usually go unnoticed.

Fast Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Stylommatophora
Group Name: Rout
Length: 12-15 inches
Weight: 10 grams
Lifespan: 15 years
Diet: Living and decaying plants
Habitat: Gardens, parks, forests and dunes
Age of Sexual Maturity: 2 years
Gestation Period: 2-4 weeks
Number of Offspring: 85 eggs

Interesting And Fun Facts About Snails

• Snails can carry stuff up to 10 times more than their own body weight while vertically placed.
• Interestingly, both salt and sugar are poisonous to snails.
• Snails can not see very well so they rely upon their good sense of smell to help them find their way.
• They are not able to hear and unlike other animals, they can not make sounds to call out to their prospective mate; thus, they use touching as a way of courting.
• It is difficult to distinguish between male and female of the species as they are hermaphrodites.
• Not being great fans of brightness since they are nocturnal animals, snails become active at night or on cloudy days.
• The Giant African Land Snail is a big menace to the farmers as it eats more than 500 types of plants including food crops.
• To survive winters, many snail species hibernate by covering their bodies with mucus so that their skin does not dry and peel off.
• Contrary to the popular belief, snail slime does not carry harmful bacteria.
• They have flexible bodies and can comfortably slide over sharp objects without cutting themselves.
• There are two pairs of tentacles on a snail’s head with the eyes located on the longer ones while the shorter ones assist in smelling and feeling.
• Baby snails are born with tiny shells on their backs and have bodies that seem almost transparent.
• All eggs that do not hatch are eaten by the newborns. This gives them an opportunity to make their shells stronger as the eggs that do not hatch contain calcium in abundance.
• A snail’s shell is made of calcium carbonate which becomes stronger with age if the snail consumes a calcium-rich diet. Contrarily, the shell turns brittle and cracks up if it lives on a diet containing less calcium.
• The shell is a safety vault for the snail to hide in. Whenever it senses any danger, it curls its entire body into the shell which is its first and last line of defense.
• It is due to the slime that snails are able to move upside down, around corners, and through other various trajectories without falling.
• Discovered in 1976, the largest land snail weighs just 2 pounds with a length of 15 inches.
• At present, the Ghana tiger snail holds the world record for the largest land snail which can grow up to a length of 12 inches.
• Australian marine type snail is the biggest of all the snails, known as Syrinx aruanus. It can grow up to 30 inches long and weigh 40 lbs.
• Fastest movers and shakers among snails are garden snails which can move at a speed of 55 yards per hour.
• Just as a tree’s age can be calculated by counting the rings formed inside its bark, one can determine a snail’s age by totaling the spiral rings on its shell. Each year, a new spiral ring grows on a snail’s shell, referred to as a whorl.
• A land snail has rough hooked teeth attached to its tongue which helps it to scrape tiny bits of leaves, fruit and other foods. These teeth are called radula.
• Snails are feasted upon by many natural predators like beetles, chickens, ducks, geese, birds, toads, turtles and snakes.