Read on and enjoy a variety of fascinating information about snails.

➤Snail is a common name for gastropod molluscs that can be split into three groups, land snails,
sea snails and freshwater snails.
➤Snails can have lungs or gills depending on the species and their habitat. Some marine snails
actually can have lungs and some land based snails can have gills.
➤Snail-like animals that do not have a shell are usually called slugs.
➤Most snail species have a ribbon-like tongue called a radula that contains thousands of
microscopic teeth. The radula works like a file, ripping food up into tiny pieces.
➤Most snails are herbivores eating vegetation such as leaves, stems and flowers, some larger
species and marine based species can be predatory omnivores or even carnivores.
➤The giant African land snail grows to about 38 cm and weigh 1 kg.
➤The largest living sea snail species is the Syrinx aruanus who's shell can reach 90 cm in
length and the snail can weigh up to 18 kg!
➤Common garden snails have a top speed of 45 m per hour. Making the snail one of
the slowest creatures on Earth.
➤As they move along snails leave behind a trail of mucus which acts as a lubricant to reduce
surface friction. This also allows the snail to move along upside down.
➤Depending on the species snails can live 5 - 25 years.

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