Snail facts. Interesting facts about snails

1. Snails are invertebrates, soft-bodied animals. They belong to the class gastropods (gastropods), a type of shell molluscs.

The snail is unique creature, which is protected by a shell and can live not only in wild nature but also at home.

2. The body of snails is asymmetrical and consists of a leg with a sole, a body and a head. The head and leg are drawn into the shell with the help of a very strong special muscle that covers the entire body of the snail.

3. Snails appeared on Earth about 600 million years ago. This allows us to consider them one of the most ancient inhabitants of our planet, along with jellyfish.

4. The word snail comes from the Old Slavonic "snail" - hollow because of its house (shell), which is empty without an animal.

5. Snails are all over the place. the globe. They can adapt to any environment and do not require much food. These amazing creatures are the most a prime example proving Darwin's theory and his principles of evolution.

6. Snails have more than 110,000 species, 2,000 of them are found in Russia. Snails are divided according to their place of residence into: marine; land; freshwater. They are pulmonary, gill.

grape snail

7. Grape snail is a large land snail with a habitat that is European part our continent. The shell of this type of snail is 50 millimeters, which is spirally curved in 5 turns. Her legs are 35 to 52 millimeters long and 22 millimeters wide.

8. The color of the grape snail ranges from cream to brown with a red tint. The first 3 turns along the entire diameter alternate with light and dark stripes. On the outside shells are clearly visible small ribs. In the wild, this mollusk lives from 8 to 20 years.

9. In winter, the grape snail is at rest for three months, attaching its sole to the substrate and clogging the shell with special mucus. During wintering, the snail loses up to 10% of its weight. After activation, the mollusk recovers within a month and a half.

10. Grape snail is able to carry low temperature up to -7°C, but not more than 10 hours. Grape snail at home is bred for a long time.

geographic cone

11. The most poisonous gastropod - Geographical cone living in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. It produces enough toxins to kill 10 people. An antidote for the poison of this mollusk has not yet been found. This venomous snail affects its enemies by releasing a cloud of high levels of insulin that instantly lowers the victim's blood sugar levels.

12. Snails are able to crawl along the blade of a knife and not get hurt - while moving, the sole of their foot rests on a kind of “pillow” of mucus that protects the body of the mollusk and helps it move.

13. Most snails are hermaphrodites, that is, females and males at the same time. They do not need a partner for procreation.

14. At one time, snails lay about 85 eggs, from which cubs hatch after a month.

15. The color of the snail shell directly depends on the color of the soil and the composition of the feed.

garden snail

16. The fastest snail is the garden snail, which develops speeds up to 60 m / h, at a time when average speed other snails - 5.4 m/h.

17. If environmental conditions become unfavorable, snails can hibernate for up to six months. Thanks to this ability, garden snails tolerate temperatures up to -120 degrees.

18. These cute little creatures have incredible strength: they can carry 10 times more load than their own weight.

19. The shells of almost all snails twist clockwise. The strength of this "dwelling" depends on the amount of calcium in the diet of the mollusk.

20. One of the largest grape snails was discovered in 1976. It weighed 2 kilograms and was 15 inches long.

21. Snails have fully earned their reputation as the slowest creatures on Earth - on average, they overcome 7 centimeters per minute. For comparison, the sloth moves at a speed of about two meters per minute.

22. Salt and sugar for snails are equivalent to poison.

23. A snail is born with a shell, only in babies it is thin and transparent.

24. Snails are far from stupid creatures. They are able to think and make decisions based on their life experiences.

25. Snails do not chew, but grind food with the help of 25 thousand teeth. They have more teeth than any shark.

Australian trumpeter

26. Australian trumpeter - a large gastropod. The giant snail weighs 18 kilograms. It belongs to the class of predators, lives at a depth of 30 meters in the coastal region of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and feeds on worms.

27. The eyesight of snails is so poor that they can only tell day from night.

Snail Karakolus

28. In the mantle of snails that live in water, gills are located. This organ must be constantly washed by a stream of water, in order to organize this process, the mantle is equipped with: an inlet siphon through which the liquid enters; outlet siphon through which water is removed.

29. Snails live in nature and feed on animal food. Such species are distinguished by teeth in the form of a drill. It can drill into the oyster shell or other hard protective shells, which helps the mollusk get to the meat.

30. Snails communicate with each other by touch.

australian maritime

31. The largest snail is the Australian sea snail. It weighs up to 40 kilograms and grows up to 30 centimeters in length.

32. Clam mucus is a compound that is very important for the snail. It consists of a complex protein (mucin) and water.

33. Mucin regulates the processes of mineralization and the creation of a shell. Slime is divided into two types. The first type helps the mollusk move by moistening the surface. The second type is produced by a special gland, as a response to any stress and mechanical damage to the shell. The main components of such mucus are polysaccharides, mineral salts, which have restorative, regenerating properties.

34. The unique properties of mucin are widely used today in cosmetology as a rejuvenating, sunscreen, moisturizer.

35. In England, snail races are often arranged: animals crawl along their treadmill along the “trail” of lettuce leaves. The fastest snail is rewarded with this very lettuce leaf.

Fried snails, French cuisine

36. It is not for nothing that snail meat is considered a delicacy in many countries - it has a pleasant taste, and in terms of protein content it exceeds egg.

37 The smallest mollusk is Angustopila dominikae. Its size is 0.8 mm. Compare: 4 such snails can easily fit in the eye of a needle.

38. Small snails can move with the help of the beating of cilia.

39. The almost complete lack of vision in snails compensates for a very developed sense of smell - an individual without a shell smells food at a distance of up to two meters.

40 The Burgundy snail lives in France, which sleeps in cold winters and dry summers, but when it rains warmly, it begins to "sing" - it makes sounds that resemble melodious singing.

Snail radula

41. Representatives of gastropods are distinguished by a special organ in oral cavity- radula. This organ performs the functions of the tongue and teeth. The radula consists of a cartilaginous plate on which there are several rows of teeth of various shapes.

42. Vegetarian snails have small teeth, predators have large ones in the form of a pike or gaff. The number of teeth in a cochlea can reach 25,000. Basically, the radula includes 120 rows, each with 100 teeth = 12,000.

43. Poisonous snails mainly have teeth with a cavity through which poison paralyzing the victim flows from a special gland.

44. gastropods are among the most inconspicuous organisms on earth. But, despite this, the individual has enough enemies: sea gobies; sardine; sea ​​stars; mackerel; whales; herring; hermit crabs. Freshwater mollusks should be afraid of: trout; storks; frogs; herons.

45. For land snails, the danger is: moles; thrushes; wild boars; lizards; hedgehogs.

Slug

46. ​​Slugs are a snail without a shell, which is completely similar to its relative. Some species have a small inconspicuous shell covered by a mantle.

47. Snail horns are a nose turned inside out (all receptors that are located inside in humans are outside in snails).

48. Since many cuisines of the world use snail meat as a delicacy, there are even special farms for breeding them.

49. C recently scientists begin to use the cochlea as a donor of nervous tissue for the brain affected by the disease - in particular, we are talking about epilepsy. Experiments on rats are successful.

50. In many parts of the world, snail shells are used as decorations and for crafts.

African Achatina snails

photo from internet

Do snails have teeth? May 30th, 2016

I saw this picture and somehow doubted. You know that everyone writes "on the Internet", and then it turns out to be utter nonsense. Snail teeth... come on!

But it's still worth checking out...

So, all snails have one big leg located on the underside. These creatures are equipped with one or two pairs of antennae, or horns. They have two eyes, which can be located both at the ends of the antennae and at their base, and a mouth. It often expands into a tube, at the end of which are small sharp teeth, with which the snail can scrape off parts of plants.

Some snails eat animal food. The oyster borer, for example, the yellow-shelled sea snail, bores through the oyster shell and feeds on its meat. The teeth of the snail are located on the tongue, with which it cuts and grinds food.

A snail has about 25,000 teeth. They are not arranged in rows, but in the form of a “grater”, with which they grind food.
Nature provided the American garden snail with the largest number of teeth. Her tongue is lined with 135 rows of teeth with 105 teeth in each row. When a snail "gnaws through" an underground corridor, it wields... .14 175 teeth!

It is worth noting that these are not exactly the teeth that we usually have in mind. In the oral cavity of the snail there are so-called radulas - a special apparatus, more like a grater. Here, rather, it is important not how many teeth a cochlea has, but how they work. Located on the surface of the odontophore (a kind of "tongue"), the radula serves not for biting, but for scraping and grinding food. It consists of a chitinous basal plate (radular membrane) and chitinous teeth arranged across in several hundred rows. This whole apparatus operates on the principle of a dredging machine, which has as many buckets as a snail has teeth. Exactly these horn formations and scrape nutrient, which then enters the digestive tract. Some species of gastropods use the radula as a drill, with which the snail opens the shell of its prey.

Some interesting facts from the life of snails

AT nervous system cochlea contains approximately twenty thousand neurons.

The human brain, for comparison, consists of several hundred billion.

The olfactory receptors, located inside the human nose, are located on top of the horns in snails. In other words, the horns are the nose inside out.

It is believed that snails cannot see literally of this word, but only distinguish between light and darkness. How many teeth a snail has depends on the variety.

Usually their number is in the range from 15 to 25 thousand.

Most of snails are hermaphrodites.

The giant snail Achatina fulica reaches a length of 20 cm, but moves more slowly than a grape snail. The meat of this shellfish contains more protein than a chicken egg. In addition, it is rich in calcium, iron and fatty acids. For this reason, they are eaten.

No matter how many teeth a snail has, it has only one leg, and therefore it moves very slowly.

Max Speed, which the animal develops, is about 7 cm / min.

The most gigantic snail ever found weighed sixteen kilograms, and its house was seventy centimeters long.

Most snails have a clockwise (right) twisted shell when viewed from the twisted end.

Twisting counterclockwise is much less common. Snails were used as medicinal product in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and eye inflammation, as well as to stop bleeding.

Snails are one of the oldest inhabitants of the planet. Scientists claim that these crumbs appeared more than 500 million years ago. They can adapt to any environment and do not require much food. These amazing creatures are the most striking example proving Darwin's theory and his principles of evolution.
Snails belong to the class of shellfish. Their body is asymmetrical and consists of a leg with a sole, a torso and a head. The head and leg are drawn into the shell with the help of a very strong special muscle that covers the entire body of the snail.

These creatures mainly move by slowly sliding on the sole of the foot, with movement carried out by waves of contraction running from back to front along the sole. The mucus that is secreted during the movement of the skin makes it easier to slide, because it softens the friction. When the snail moves, its body is on a kind of slime cushion, so even if it crawls along the blade, its body will not be damaged.


Snails live on average about 15 years. Their viability is amazing: during unfavorable conditions, they can hibernate even for six months! With the onset of the cold period of the year, the mollusk draws its leg and head into the shell, having previously hidden under the leaves or in the ground. The entrance is sealed with mucus, which hardens over time.

This dream lasts until the onset of spring. Thus, snails can tolerate extreme cold and heat. For example, garden representatives can withstand temperatures down to -120 degrees. With the onset of the warm season, the snails wake up and greedily pounce on food. When the forces are restored, nature tells the mollusks to start thinking about offspring.


It turns out that most snails are hermaphrodites, very rarely heterosexual creatures are found. They reproduce by laying eggs. In one period, the snail lays an average of 85 pieces. The egg maturation period lasts 3-4 weeks. Babies are born with a transparent shell, as they grow, it becomes denser. The strength of the snail shell depends on the amount of calcium in its food: the more it consumes, the more reliable its "house". In almost all types of snails, the shell twists to the right, i.e. clockwise. But sometimes, very rarely, there are left-handed shells.

Snails are distributed throughout the world. In many parts of the world, their shells are used as decorations and for fakes, many cuisines of the world use their meat as a delicacy, there are even special farms for breeding them.


Recently, scientists are beginning to use the cochlea as a donor of nervous tissue for brain treatment. There are even results of such therapy in rats.


Today we tried to learn more about such wonderful creatures as snails, to touch a little on their habitat and way of life. Nevertheless, it is always worth remembering that flora and fauna must be protected and protected for future generations. We hope you enjoyed your time.

A snail is a unique living creature that is protected by a shell and can live not only in the wild, but also at home. This species of animal belongs to the class of gastropods (gastropods), the type of molluscs. The word snail comes from the Old Slavonic "snail" - hollow because of its house (shell), which is empty without an animal.

Snail - description and characteristics

The body of a snail consists of a head, a leg, an visceral sac, and a mantle fold. The movement of the mollusk occurs on the sole, which covers the lower part of the leg. This process is the result of muscle contractions that create a kind of wave. To make sliding as comfortable as possible, the epithelium of the limb secretes a lot of mucus.

Snails of small sizes can move with the help of the beating of cilia.

The visceral sac is located inside the shell in the form of a spiral or cap. In the mantle of snails that live in water, gills are located. This body must be constantly washed by a stream of water, in order to organize this process, the mantle is equipped with:

• inlet siphon through which the liquid enters;
• outlet siphon through which water is removed.

Also inside the mantle are:

• kidney ducts;
• excretory system;
• intestines;
• sexual apparatus;
• lung (for those living on land).

In order for air to enter the respiratory organs, there is a special hole. It is located on the edge of the shell or on the front side of the body.

The head consists of:

• stalks with eyes;
• tentacles (organ of touch);
• oral cavity.

The shell of a snail, like other mollusks, consists of several layers:

• The periostracum is a thin layer that covers the structure from the outside. It is made up of a protein called conchiolin.
• Ostracum is a calcium carbonate middle layer wrapped in conchiolin.
• Hypostracum (mother-of-pearl) - a layer located inside. It includes plates of calcium carbonate coated with conchiolin.

The shell is an integral part of the snail's body. The external skeleton of the mollusk protects it from enemies, external negative factors, and retains moisture.

A snail is born with a shell, only in babies it is thin and transparent.

The shape of the external skeleton: conical, in which all the organs of the mollusk are located asymmetrically or flat spiral. The surface is smooth or with outgrowths. The turns in the helix are arranged from left to right, but there are very rare cases when the opposite is true. Sizes and colors may vary.

Some snails have a reduced shell - this is a calcareous plate inside the mantle. Basically, these are slugs that can be found in any garden.

Teeth

Representatives of gastropods are distinguished by a special organ in the oral cavity - the radula. This organ performs the functions of the tongue and teeth. The radula consists of a cartilaginous plate on which there are several rows of teeth of various shapes.

Vegetarian snails have small teeth, predators have large ones in the form of a pike or gaff. The number of teeth in a cochlea can reach 25,000. Basically, the radula includes 120 rows, each with 100 teeth = 12,000.

Poisonous snails mainly have teeth with a cavity through which poison flows from a special gland, paralyzing the victim.

In nature, snails live, which feed on animal food. Such species are distinguished by teeth in the form of a drill. It can drill into the oyster shell or other hard protective shells, which helps the mollusk get to the meat.

Clam mucus is a compound that is very important for the snail. It consists of a complex protein (mucin) and water.

The unique properties of this substance are widely used today in cosmetology as a rejuvenating, sunscreen, moisturizer.

Mucin regulates the processes of mineralization and shell formation. Slime is divided into two types:

• The first type helps the mollusk move by moistening the surface.
• The second type is produced by a special gland, as a response to any stress and mechanical damage to the shell. The main components of such mucus are polysaccharides, mineral salts, which have restorative, regenerating properties.

The snail lives in all climatic conditions on all continents except Antarctica and arid deserts. The mollusk lives in warm waters Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean and in the cold environment of the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea.

Snails feel great in Europe, Africa, Australia, America. It is found in Asia and Russia. The main condition for the existence of a mollusk is high humidity, which will not allow the body of the snail to dry out, otherwise the animal may die.

Everything that a snail eats depends on its habitat. The nutrition of the mollusk surprises with its diversity, it can be:

• soft part of fresh plants.
• plant remains;
• small relatives;
• worms;
• carrion;
• fish;
• insects;
• crustaceans.

Land mollusks are happy to eat leaves, berries, fruits, vegetables, bark, grass. The young prefer fresher food, but as they age, their preferences change, and the old snail begins to feed on rotten plants.

Some species eat flies, midges, mosquitoes, carrion. A delicacy for a street snail can be a rotten tree.

To grind food well, the teeth of the mollusk require calcium. Its deficiency leads to the fact that the snail begins to sharpen its shell, which collapses, leaving the body without protection. This leads to dehydration and death.

Snails in the aquarium can be fed:

• fish food;
• aquarium plants;
• algae tablets;
• chopped vegetables.

So that the aquarium is not left without all the vegetation, the number of mollusks is best taken under control. A moderate amount of snails is good for algae, as they eat all the rot on them and clean the aquarium. It is also recommended to grind eggshells in a coffee grinder to replenish calcium in the body of gastropods.

It is worth monitoring the nutrition of the pet, he should not be given human food. And also it is necessary to put newspapers away, because the snail eats them with great pleasure, but after such a feast it rarely survives.

You can include a diet:

• plantain;
• legumes;
• cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, bell pepper;
• greens;
• dandelions;
• bananas, watermelon, pears, strawberries, apples.

For land representatives, do not forget to put a bowl of clean water.

Gastropods in most cases are oviparous animals. The process of fertilization and egg laying depends on the habitat of the snail.

Snails with lungs living in fresh waters and on land, they are hermaphrodites. Such mollusks have both female and male sexual characteristics. In this connection, during mating, fertilization occurs cross.

Freshwater snails lay their eggs in capsules, and land snails in dug holes. At a time, the mollusk is able to lay up to 85 pieces. Eggs ripen within 28 days and may have a different color:

• transparent;
• green;
• white;
• pink.

The development of this snail takes place without stages of transformation. After passing the prescribed ripening period, a formed individual with a transparent shell appears, which eventually hardens and gets its color.

Snails with gills are heterosexual creatures. Males are endowed with a testis and a vas deferens. Female mollusks have an ovary and an oviduct.

Egg laying takes place in a special cocoon with a lid that dissolves at the time of development of the larvae. For the safety of future offspring, the outer row of eggs is not filled, this allows you to leave the predator without lunch.

The development of gastropods takes place with transformations from egg to larva (veliger). With the help of outgrowths with thin cilia, it moves and feeds on small particles of food of plant and protein origin. After a few days, the mollusk forms and sinks to the bottom.

There is unique species gill snails that do not lay eggs, but go through a gestation cycle. The fetus remains in the mother's body until it is fully mature and only then is born.

Snail diseases

Snails can suffer from the following diseases:

• Broken shell, holes, cracks. In this case, the animal should receive the maximum amount of calcium, rest, high humidity and the correct temperature.
• Shell lamination. This process can occur against the background of improper maintenance, stress, poor heredity.
• white bloom on the sink. The problem arises against the backdrop of poor conditions, like age change or it could be a simple scuff.
• Burns. They are thermal, chemical. In this case, the snail hides in the shell and hardly moves. You can alleviate the condition by increasing the humidity and increasing the amount of juicy vegetables and fruits in the diet.
• Poisoning. It happens due to poor quality food.
• Self-gnawing. The snail begins to eat itself due to calcium deficiency, stress or heredity.
• Prolapse of organs.

Enemies in the wild

Gastropods are among the most inconspicuous organisms on earth. But, despite this, the individual has enough enemies:

• sea ​​gobies;
• sardine;
• sea ​​stars;
• mackerel;
• whales;
• herring;
• hermit crabs.

For land snails, the danger is:

• moles;
• thrushes;
• wild boars;
• lizards;
• hedgehogs.

Freshwater clams should be afraid of:

• trout;
• storks;
• frogs;
• herons.

Snails are slow and cautious, which helps them to protect themselves from enemies. They avoid heavily lit areas, and stick to the thickness of the substrate.

How long does a snail live? Lifespan

Snails have good stress resistance, but they do not live more than 25 years. In nature, the mollusk is exposed to constant dangers that significantly shorten the life of the gastropods.

For example, grape snails can live for 20 years, but most often their lifespan does not exceed 8 years.

In captivity, the snail lives as long as it was originally measured out. The main thing for this is to follow all the rules of keeping and properly feed the pet.

The snail has more than 110,000 species; 2,000 of them are found in Russia.

The most poisonous gastropod is the Geographical cone, living in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It produces enough toxins to kill ten people. An antidote for the poison of this mollusk has not yet been found.

The poisonous snail affects its enemies by releasing a cloud of high levels of insulin, which instantly lowers the victim's blood sugar.

The smallest mollusk is Angustopila dominikae. Its size is 0.8 mm. For example: 4 of these snails can easily fit in the eye of a needle.

The Australian trumpeter is recognized as the largest gastropod. The giant snail weighs 18 kg. It belongs to the class of predators, lives at a depth of 30 m in the coastal region of Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and eats worms.

Snails are divided according to their place of residence into:

• marine;
• land;
• freshwater.

There are pulmonary, gill.

A large land snail with a habitat that is the European part of our continent. The shell of this species is 50 mm, spirally curved in 5 turns.

The length of the leg is from 35 to 52 mm, and the width is 22 mm.

The color varies from cream to brown with a red tint. The first 3 turns along the entire diameter alternate with light and dark stripes. Small ribs are clearly visible on the outer side of the shell. In the wild, the mollusk lives from 8 to 20 years.

In winter, the snail is at rest for three months, attaching its sole to the substrate, clogging the shell with special mucus. During wintering, the snail loses up to 10% of its weight. After activation, the mollusk recovers within a month and a half.

The grape snail is able to tolerate low temperatures down to -7 ° C, but not more than 10 hours.

Grape snail at home is bred for a long time. To date, special snail farms are opening in some countries.

Meat of gastropods consists of:

• 15% - protein;
• 8% - carbohydrates;
• 35% - fat.

It also contains a number of essential minerals and vitamins.

The grape snail is a delicacy, and in Europe it is eaten as a complete, useful product. It is also bred for use in cosmetology and the pharmaceutical industry.

Grape snail at home is bred in special terrariums, instead of other exotic, but not always safe animals. Mollusks are hermaphrodites, therefore, it is enough for breeding, heterosexual individuals of sexually mature age.

Grape snail at home eats plant foods. They can be fed vegetables and fruits. The appetite of the gastropod is good, and therefore it is necessary to ensure that he has food all the time.

The grape snail is kept at home in a glass or plastic jar, a box with good ventilation and a large bottom.

You can cook the clams as follows:

• 100 pieces. gastropods;
• 1 liter of white wine;
• 2 carrots;
• 800 g of special snail oil;
• 200 g vinegar 3%;
• 2 onions;
• thyme, salt, parsley to taste;
• Bay leaf;
• 3 tbsp flour.

Snails are flooded cold water and after boiling, cook for about 7 minutes. It is washed, dried, the shell is removed, the black tip is cut off. The finished product is poured with white wine with the same amount of water, chopped vegetables, seasonings and herbs are added. Salt in a proportion of 10 g per 1 liter. Cook for 3.5 - 4.5 hours, then leave to cool. The sinks are thoroughly washed in a weak soda solution and rinsed in running clean water.

Sauce or special oil for shellfish: 100 grams of grated onion + 2 cloves of minced garlic + parsley + salt, black pepper + 800 g softened butter. Mix thoroughly.

The shell is filled with ready-made oil and the finished snail, heated in the oven before serving.

Gastropod coil refers to freshwater snails, which settle in reservoirs with lush vegetation and a small current. The mollusk survives even in very polluted waters with minimal oxygen content.

The shell is a tightly twisted spiral in several turns with a seam visible to the naked eye. This type of snail is now common among aquarium keepers, in which the mollusk grows up to 1 cm in the wild, the size of the gastropod can reach 3.7 cm.

Color - from brick color to rich red. The gastropod coil is able to move like a shell down the surface of the water with the help of air accumulated inside. Sensing danger, the snail releases the remaining oxygen and falls to the bottom.

Coils are:

• horny;
• horny red;
• Far Eastern;
• keeled;
• wrapped.

The coil cleans the aquarium well, eating rotten parts of plants and food residues.

The garden gastropod is a large pest in garden plots, which their owners are actively fighting. The snail eats fresh crops with pleasure and spoils young leaves, shoots, sometimes causing irreparable harm.

But there are also benefits from these mollusks. They process the remains of vegetation, acting as orderlies.

The garden snail does not have any features that distinguish it from other relatives. She lives on the ground, hiding in the shade during the day, and leaving it in the evening for food.

This mollusk is not whimsical and very often it is kept in aquariums at home. This is the most economical option for breeding snails. The garden snail does not require special care and eats everything that grows in the garden.

A mollusk called Neretina is one of the most popular aquarium species snails. Bright, variegated color is individual for each individual and does not repeat, making each gastropod exclusive. It is not difficult to keep such an animal.

Neretina snail grows up to 3.2 cm, has a flat oval (round) shell, decorated with a variety of patterns with a beautiful, noticeable color. The body of the mollusk is large and dark in color.

Neretina snail is divided into four types:

• zebra - striped color;
• brindle - orange-black stripes;
• olive - color similar to the name;
• horned - the head is characterized by horns-mustache.

The mollusk was born in Africa, where it lives in all available water bodies. Neretina is not whimsical, it easily manages for a certain period without feeding, eating up waste from other inhabitants of the aquarium and rot on the walls.

At home, the snail should be periodically pampered with calcium supplements. You can also include chopped vegetables, fish food in the form of a powder, grated shells from chicken eggs in the diet.

clam long time was distributed only on the African continent, but today this snail is often found as a pet.

Achatina giant is distinguished by the most large sizes shells, which can reach 20 cm and weigh up to 0.5 kg. AT natural conditions In Russia, the mollusk does not survive; here it is kept at home in special terrariums.

The Akhata shell of an individual has a conical shape, twisted clockwise. The color consists of stripes of brown in different shades. There are also albinos who are completely white. The mollusk feeds on plant foods. By gender, it performs the functions of a male and female, that is, the African Achatina snail, which is a hermaphrodite.

Makes 6 clutches per year, each of which can bring 200 eggs. Achatina lives for about 7 years, but with proper care this figure can rise to 10.

During the day, the African snail Achatina prefers to sleep and stay awake at night. If you increase the humidity in the aquarium, the mollusc will become active during daylight hours.

Helena mollusk is a freshwater mollusk that lives in the region of Southeast Asia. Gastropod has not quite good fame, since it periodically eats its relatives. Aquarium keepers most often keep this species of gastropods to exterminate other snails.

Helena has a positive attitude towards running water, but at the same time they feel good in artificial reservoirs, lakes and aquariums. The substrate is chosen sandy or silty.

The individual feeds on live snails, carrion. The shell is conical with pronounced irregularities, can reach 20 mm, the color is yellow with brown stripes. The body is grey-green. Helena snail lives a little, about two years.

At home, the gastropod feeds on the same small mollusks. Large individuals do not suffer, since the helena snail cannot cope with them. The process of eating occurs with the help of a tube on which the mouth is located, it is inserted into the shell of the gastropod and sucks out the body of the gastropod. The individual also feeds on ordinary fish food, krill, and frozen shrimp.

Helens are heterosexual animals and breed well in captivity. Mating between a male and a female can last for hours, quite often other relatives join them and the created group sticks together, continuing the process. The female lays one egg, which develops very slowly.

According to aquarists, the Helena snail can seriously reduce the population of other mollusks, so the number of this individual must be controlled.

Slugs are a snail without a shell, which is completely similar to its relative. Some species have a small inconspicuous shell covered by a mantle.

Basically, the size of the mollusk does not exceed a few centimeters. But, despite this, there are individuals that can reach 32 cm!

Color - gray-brown, chestnut, black, red, yellow, depending on the species. Slugs live on all continents in areas where there is high humidity. The absence of their own house makes them seek shelter from the effects of the sun, winds, and cold.

The mollusk shows activity at night, when the heat subsides and a gentle coolness sets in. A relative of the snail hibernates deep in the soil.

The slug moves with the help of the sole, which contracts in waves, for a more comfortable glide, an abundant amount of mucus is released. In search of food, despite its slowness, the individual is ready to overcome decent distances.

Most mollusks eat plant foods. They eat everything:

• leaves;
• flowers;
• fruit;
• berries;
• mushrooms.

The slug also eats:

• carrion;
• feces;
• lichens.

Predators eat worms, their relatives, newborn mice, hatched chicks. The process of nutrition occurs with the help of a radula dotted with teeth.

Hermaphrodite reproduction occurs once a year, it lays up to 40 eggs. Slug for many gardeners is a pest that must be destroyed. But it is worth noting that this mollusk has the largest male genital organ among its relatives, which, after mating, it can bite off to unstick from its partner. Over time, the body is restored.

Bithynia

A small freshwater mollusk with a smooth spiral shell. Size within 15mm. Color: brown, gray, olive. Life cycle last up to 5.5 years. It lives on the American and Eurasian continents.

Luzhanka

A freshwater gastropod with a blunt-conical shell up to 43 mm long and 31 mm wide, curled in several turns. The color depends on the habitat and can be: greenish, brown, red, brown.

The Luzhanka snail is a viviparous mollusk.

Gastropod lives in all regions of Europe, except for the northern regions.

Buccinum (trumpeter)

A large marine snail with a shell measuring 24 cm diagonally and 17 cm vertically. Color - light brown. The surface is embossed or smooth.

The mollusk belongs to predators and paralyzes its prey with poisonous saliva. Lives only in northern oceans with cool water.

ampoule

An aquarium snail that requires special conditions of detention. This mollusk loves to eat a lot, and when there is a shortage of food, it begins to spoil the plants. The size of the gastropod reaches 15.5 cm.

Fiza

The 2-centimeter Fiza snail is popular with experienced aquarists. special form shells help the mollusk hide in the most secluded places.

The gastropod feeds on living algae. The presence of lungs allows the physio to exist without water. It is recommended to control the number of this species of snail, since it reproduces very quickly.

The mollusk is a good aquarium cleaner from plaque and bacterial films on the walls. Water will be used hard with a temperature not lower than 21 degrees.

tilomelania

Thylomelania is a colorful mollusk that will decorate any aquarium. Special care is required for him, since the snail eats a lot and does not get along well with its other relatives. The length of the gastropod reaches 13 cm.

The color of the shell can have any color, the surface is smooth or with spikes. Water for the mollusk is best made soft with high acidity.

The snail needs to be fed three times a day. In food, she is not picky, loves a large number of light, requires a lot of space.

Melania

The Melania clam is aquarium snail, which multiplies rapidly and instantly clears the aquarium of waste. Gastropod feels comfortable in water with a temperature of 17 to 29 °C. Color is grey-green. Conical shell. Melania is omnivorous.

Pagoda (brotia)

This mollusk requires sufficient oxygen content in the water and prefers sand in the form of soil. Feeds on algae and fish food. The pagoda lives very little - only six months.

Maryse

The large mollusk Maryse is unpretentious in food, she does not need complex care, and she has the ability to rise to the surface of the water and breathe air. Mariza feeds on algae and food for aquarium fish.

• To live a snail, you need to prepare:
• terrarium;
• Plastic container;
• aquarium;
• house for rodents.
• The capacity for the mollusk, in the worst case, should not be less than 10 liters per individual, at best - 20 liters.
• To prevent the pet from running away, you need to take care of a tight cover.
• For oxygen to enter, it is recommended to make several holes in the lid.
• More attention should be paid to the height of the aquarium than to its width.
• Snail housing is best hidden from bright light, and electric lighting can be excluded.
• The soil can be:
• land for flowers;
• peat;
• coconut substrate;
• tree bark;
• sawdust.
• Comfortable water temperature in the aquarium for snails is +25° - +30°.
• For land mollusks, it is necessary to periodically treat their place of residence with fresh water from a spray bottle to maintain normal humidity.
• Don't forget to put drinking water in a small container and constantly change it.
• If you take care of the mollusk incorrectly, he may die or hibernate.
• The terrarium should be regularly kept clean.

Proper feeding of the snail is a guarantee of its health and the ability to live as long as the snail lives in the best possible conditions.

• Almost all snails prefer plant food, for which you can prepare a special tray with low edges.
• Snails are very fond of bananas, but if you give them often, they stop eating other food and require only this delicacy.
• You can not offer the mollusk food containing salt and sugar - this is deadly.
• For a beautiful, healthy shell, you need to feed the snail with calcium.

If snails are properly cared for, they very quickly become tame and get used to their owner.

A snail is not just a resident of an aquarium or a pest in a garden, a mollusk has a lot of useful properties which people have learned to use as efficiently as possible.

• Snail meat is very useful and in many countries it is prepared as a regular dish.
• Mollusk mucus is distinguished by a large number of biologically active substances:
• elastin;
• amino acids;
• collagen;
• vitamins;
• natural antibiotics;
• allantoin.
• The protein content in mollusk meat is one and a half times more than in a chicken egg.
• Snail meat is recommended for dietary nutrition.
• The mollusk does not cause allergies.
• In ancient times, snails were actively used for therapeutic purposes.
• In modern medicine, shellfish mucus is used to treat silicosis, bronchitis, whooping cough. Since a special composition tends to glue cells with bacteria. Our grandmothers planted a snail on a piece of lumpy sugar and waited for it to be covered with mucus, after which they gave it to the sick person to eat it.
• The content of mucus in the snail allows it to independently restore the shell.
• In cosmetology, ordinary mucus has become the basis for many rejuvenating, regenerating, antioxidant agents.
• Also with the help of snails make effective masks.
• On the basis of mucus, drugs are produced to combat stretch marks, acne, scars, warts, age spots.

The snail is a unique creature that is the oldest living creature on earth. Therefore, there are a lot of interesting facts in the life of this mollusk:

An ordinary snail can bring many benefits, the main thing is to know about its unique abilities.

Good afternoon! Today I want to talk about cute and cool (as for me) Achatina snails.

Approximate content of this creation:

• Who are the Achatina? Why are they such good pets?
• What will a novice snail breeder have to face?
• My personal experience

Let's start with a full acquaintance with these "miracles"

Let's read a little from the good old Wikipedia (described here separate view: Achatina fulica):

Py.sy: in Africa they even go to jail for breeding snails

Wikipedia has already suggested that Achatina - live exclusively on land, crawl on their belly and legs and love to eat a variety of vegetation. But this does not exclude the fact that they need not only vegetable, but also animal protein. How do they get it? It is clear that in nature no one feeds them with special mixtures, but somewhere they find it! The answer is simple: they eat carrion. The simple remains of animals, perhaps people (yes, Africa is cruel) or other living creatures become a salvation for the body of Achatina.

But if you think about it, snails need not only carbohydrates and proteins, but also calcium to build a beautiful shell. And again the question arises: where do they find it? The same answer: carrion, but already its other parts are bones. Yes, and in truth, snails "gnawing" the bones while receiving calcium.

We have dealt with all the sources of "usefulness" for snails in nature. Now I want to talk about the interesting part of the study of Achatina - myths about them. Let's look at each of them separately.

Myth #1

They are quite slow and can crawl no more than a centimeter per minute.

I'll tell you personal experience, Achatina are relatively fast creatures. In a minute or two or three, when hunger occurs, they can crawl the entire container to their favorite feeder, and this is not the limit (they are only 1.5 months old, imagine what one-year-old individuals do)

Myth #2

Do not cause allergies

I partly agree with this statement, the snails themselves do not cause allergies (as I know), but their mucus, top dressing: daphnia, gammarus, the substrate can very well.

Myth #3

Achatina love to swim

Keepers in this regard were divided into two groups: someone believes that snails love to swim, enjoy this event and reach for some water while swimming, and someone believes that this is a pointless activity and Achatina are under great stress. I stand somewhere in the center of these thoughts: bathing can be done only when necessary (in activated charcoal, tansy) and with severe pollution (no more than 1 time per week). I do not deny that stress is present, but it is better to experience it than to die without a therapeutic bath.

Myth #4

If you feed Achatina with bright fruits and vegetables, then her shell will become brighter.

That is, if you follow this logic, then when a person eats bright vegetables and fruits, his hair, teeth, nails, or even skin will change color? Rave? Brad, of course. The color of the shell depends solely on the genes.

Myth #5

Achatina is a wonderful beautician

If you still think that using snails for facial massage is normal, then everything is very sad. First, snails are carriers of disease, and if they are sick, and you plant them on a face with cracks (and snails are used to heal them), you may not be good. And secondly, for Achatina this is a lot of stress. Imagine that you are transferred from your home to something incomprehensible with the remnants of toxic cosmetics (

If you have weighed everything and decided to get yourself an Achatina, then you should worry about its comfort and safety:

Let's start, so to speak, with the "basics" of keeping snails.

Starter pack:

1. Terrarium with ventilation (at least 10-15 liters per individual)
2. Soil (coconut substrate, leaf obad, moss, mat)
3. Calcium (at least 3 of the types listed (eggshell, feed chalk, shell rock, sepia, tricalcium phosphate)
4. Atomizer (to maintain moisture)
5. Thermometer and hygrometer (for monitoring temperature and humidity)
6. Protein (gammarus, daphnia, food for fish, turtles)
7. Snail (optional)

As you can see, not everything is as simple as it seemed)

Every day you need to clean the container, feed the snails and keep order.
Attention! Next is something interesting!

My personal experience:

The first snails that appeared to me - immaculates (Zhora-glutton, Shekii and Chipo). They are the third most commonly bred at home. They also love protein very much and are required to receive it 3 times a week.

From the first days I settled several day old babies in a round aquarium, which was my first mistake.

After acquiring everything they needed, they moved to a small container of 5 liters of horizontal type, where they continued to exist)

Most recently, long-awaited friends from another part of the city - Achatina Fuliki Albino - moved to them!