By
IFY MGBEMENA
Snails are fascinating creatures belonging to the class Gastropoda, a diverse and ancient group of mollusks.
Snails are characterized by their coiled, spiral shells, which serve as protective homes. They have soft, slimy bodies and a unique muscular foot used for locomotion.
Snails are of various types such as Land Snails, Aquatic Snails, Sea Snails, Cone Snails, Nudibranchs, Giant African Land Snail, and Cepaea nemoralis and they can be found in various habitats, including terrestrial (land), aquatic (freshwater and marine), and even some extreme environments like deserts.
Most snails are herbivores, feeding on plants and algae, but some are omnivores or carnivores, preying on smaller organisms.
While many people assume that these tiny little guys are just slugs with shells, they are often unaware of just how fascinating they really are.
- Snails have teeth, Yes! They have many teeth.
- The smallest snail in the world is less than 0.03 inches.
- There are over 40,000 species of snail.
- They are neither mammals nor reptiles.
- Snail begins life as a male, then matures into a hermaphrodite.
- Interestingly! Most snail species are hermaphrodites, meaning female and male reproductive organs. However, for a couple of snails to produce little snail babies, one must assume the female’s role; This is where the love dart comes into play.
- The largest recorded land snail is the African giant snail (Achatinaachatina), with specimen measuring up to 39.3 cm (15.5 in) apex to tail, fully extended, and a shell length of 27.3 cm (10.75 in) in December 1978. It weighed precisely 900 g (2 lb).
- Snails typically live for 2-5 years but can live for 10-15 years in captivity.
- The myth of Cupid’s arrow is believed to have originated from the darts fired by snails.
- Their speed ranges between 0.5 and 0.8 inches per second.
- A pregnant Giant African Land Snail can lay up to 500 eggs at once. The older a snail gets, the more eggs it lays, and it can lay eggs every eight to twelve weeks inhospitable climates.
- The Giant African Land Snail is constantly growing. Though its growth rate slows with age, it will continue to grow until it dies.
- The false trumpet, sometimes known as the Australian trumpet, is a large sea snail that may reach 91 centimeters (36 inches) in length and weighs up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds). It is known to be the giant water snail species in the world and arguably the largest (heaviest) gastropod in the world.
- According to a new study, the world’s tiniest snail record is held by a mollusk found in Borneo.
- The average height of this small snail stands at 0.7 millimeters (0.027 inches) with a white and translucent shell.
- Molluscophobia is the fear of the mollusk family of slugs and snails.
- Sea snails can be blue, pink, yellow, grey, or red.
- Garden snail mucus is used to treat skin spots, wrinkles, and scars.
- After Giving Birth, About ⅓ Of Snails Die. Like all humans, giving birth also places extreme stress on snails. After losing significant body mass, some snails won’t make it to the next breeding season.
- Snails can learn through associative learning. They only have two brain cells, but they are excellent at decision-making and help robots become smarter. Snails may not think fast, but scientists have discovered that they can make complex decisions using only two brain cells.
- Snails, spiders, and octopi all share one trait: they all have blue blood! The blood of snails does more than just transport respiratory gases and nutrients.
- Snails contain between 20-50% blood, while the percentage for the sea hare (Aplysia) is 75%.
- In England, there was a famous snail called Jeremy whose shell coiled towards the left. This is unique among snails as most shells coil to the right.
