The word 'snail' is loosely applied to most members of the
molluscan class
Gastropoda that have coiled
shells.
More specifically, the word snail is perhaps most often applied to various species of
pulmonate land snails. Species of land snails live in almost every kind of habitat, from deserts and mountains, to marshes, woodland, and gardens. However, certain species are "anthropophilic", which means they are found most often around human habitation. Whichever reasonably large land snail species is most commonly seen or most commonly eaten in a given area, that species will usually be referred to simply as "snails" by the local people. In many parts of the world, the species
Helix aspersa or Cornu aspersa, has been introduced, and has become a pest in farms and gardens, so this is perhaps a good example of a species commonly known as "the snail."
Snails in the wider sense can be found in a much greater range of different environments: the great majority are
marine, many are
terrestrial, and numerous kinds can be found in freshwater and even
brackish water. Most snails are
herbivorous, though a few land species and many marine species are
omnivores or
carnivores.
Gastropod species which lack a conspicuous shell are commonly called
slugs. Land slugs and shell-less
sea slugs occur within various larger taxonomic groups, many of which include shelled species. In other words the reduction or loss of the shell has evolved many times independently, within several very different lineages of gastropods.
Although the average person is perhaps more familiar with terrestrial snails, these are in the minority. Marine snails have much greater diversity, and a greater
biomass. Snails which have a
lung belong to the group
Pulmonata, while those with
gills form a
paraphyletic group.
Biology (primarily of pulmonate land snails)
Physical characteristics
thumb
Most snails move by gliding along on their muscular
foot, which is lubricated with
mucus. This motion is powered by succeeding waves of muscular contraction which move down the undersurface of the foot. This muscular action is clearly visible when a snail is crawling on the glass of a window or aquarium. Snails move at a proverbially low
speed (1 mm/s is a typical speed for adult ''
Helix lucorum''
[1]). They produce mucus in order to aid
locomotion by reducing
friction, and the mucus also helps reduces the snail's risk of mechanical injury from sharp objects. Snails also have a
mantle, a specialized layer of tissue which covers all of the internal organs as they are grouped together in the visceral mass, and the mantle also extends outward in flaps, which reach to the edge of the shell and in some cases can cover the shell, and which are partially retractible. The mantle is attached to, and creates, the shell, by secretion.
When retracted into their shells, some snails are able to protect themselves with a door-like anatomical structure called an ''
operculum.'' The operculum of some sea snails has a pleasant scent when burned, so it is sometimes used as an
ingredient in
incense.
Snails range greatly in size. The largest land snail is the Giant African Snail or Ghana Tiger Snail (''
Achatina achatina''; Family
Achatinidae), which can measure up to 30 cm. ''Pomacea maculata'' (Family
Ampullariidae), or Giant
Apple Snail is the largest freshwater snail, with a diameter of up to 15 cm and a
mass of over 600 g. The biggest of all snails is ''Syrinx aruanus'', an
Australian marine species which can grow up to 77.2 cm (30 inches) in length,
[2] and 18 kg (40lbs) in weight.
[3]
The proportions of snail and
nautilus shells are an example of the appearance of the
golden ratio in nature. Patterns on shells of certain sea snails (
Conus,
Cymbiola) are similar to those formed by
cellular automata.
As the snail grows, so does its
calcium carbonate shell. A snail's shell forms a
logarithmic spiral. Most snail shells are right-handed, meaning that if you hold the shell with the apex (the tip, or the juvenile whorls) pointing up, then the aperture of the shell is on the right hand side. When the animal reaches full adult size, many species of snails build a thickened lip around the opening of the shell. At this point the animal stops growing, and begins reproducing.
The shells of snails and other molluscs, and some snail egg casings, are primarily made up of calcium carbonate. Because of this, molluscs need calcium in their diet and environment to produce a strong shell. A lack of calcium, or low
pH in their surroundings, can result in thin, cracked, or perforated shells. Usually a snail can repair damage to its shell over time if its living conditions improve, but severe damage can be fatal.
Most snails bear one or two pairs of
tentacles on their heads. In most
land snails the eyes are carried on the tips of the first (upper) set of tentacles (called
ommatophores or more informally 'eye stalks') which are usually roughly 75% of the width of the eyes. The second (lower) set of
tentacles act as
olfactory organs. Both sets of
tentacles are retractable in
land snails. The eyes of most marine and freshwater snails are found at the base of the first set of
tentacles
Internal anatomy (land snails)
A snail breaks up its food using the
radula, which is a
chitinous structure containing microscopic hooks called cuticulae. With this the snail scrapes at food, which is then transferred to the
digestive tract. This is why, in a quiet setting, a large land snail can be heard 'crunching' its food: the radula is tearing away at what it is eating.
The cerebral
ganglia of the snail form a primitive
brain divided into four sections. This structure is very much simpler than the brains of mammals, reptiles and birds, but nonetheless, snails are capable of
associative learning.
[4]
Hibernation/Estivation (land snails)
Some snails hibernate during the winter (typically October through April in the Northern Hemisphere). They may also
estivate in the summer in
drought conditions. To stay moist during hibernation, a snail seals its shell opening with a dry layer of mucus called an ''
epiphragm.'' Some apple snails have a "door" or operculum to close the shell when they withdraw, for protection from predators as well as to avoid
desiccation.
Reproduction
Two Helicid snails make contact prior to mating
Two ''Cornu aspersa'' Garden snails mating
All land snails are
hermaphrodites, producing both
spermatozoa and
ova. Some freshwater snails, such as
Apple Snails, and marine species such as
periwinkles have separate sexes; they are either male or female.
Prior to reproduction, most land snails perform a ritual courtship before mating. This may last anywhere between two and twelve hours. Prolific breeders, pulmonate land snails
inseminate each other in pairs to
internally fertilize their ova. Each brood may consist of up to 100
eggs.
Pulonate land snails and slugs have a reproductive opening on one side of the body, near the front, through which the outer reproductive organs are extruded so that exchange of sperm can take place. After this fertilization occurs and the eggs develop.
Garden snails bury their eggs in shallow
topsoil primarily while the weather is warm and damp, usually 5 to 10 cm down, digging with their 'foot'- the back of their 'tail'. Egg sizes differ between species, from a 3 mm diameter in the
grove snail to a 6 cm diameter in the Giant African Land Snail. After 2 to 4 weeks of favorable weather, these eggs hatch and the young emerge. Snails may lay eggs as often as once a month.
The snail's shell develops while it is still an embryo; it is, however, very weak, and needs an immediate supply of calcium. Newly hatched snails obtain this by eating the egg they hatched out of. Baby snails cannibalizing other eggs, even unhatched ones, has been recorded. Promptly after they are finished ingesting their egg casings, they crawl upwards through the small tunnel remaining from when their parent dug their nest. At this stage, the young are almost completely transparent and colorless. Their shell is usually slightly smaller than the egg they hatched from, but their body length when out of their shell is slightly greater than the egg diameter. After a few weeks, the snails will begin to show their first tinge of color, usually slightly blue, before they turn their adult color. Roughly three months after they have hatched, they will look like miniature versions of their mature kin. They will continue to grow, usually for two to three years, until they reach adult size, although there have been confirmed recordings of snails growing amazingly fast - becoming even bigger than their parents in little more than a month. Irrespective of their rate of growth, however, it will still take 2 to 6 years before they are sexually mature.
There have been hybridizations of snails; although these do not occur commonly in the wild, in captivity they can be coaxed into doing so.
Parthenogenesis has also been noted in certain species.
[5]
[6]
Pond snails do not lay their eggs in the ground, but attach them to something solid, or in some genera they carry the eggs internally until they hatch, a form of
vivipary.
Lifespan
The lifespan of snails varies from species to species. In the wild,
Achatinidae snails live around 5 to 7 years and
Helix snails live about 2 to 3 years. Aquatic Apple Snails live only a year or so. Most deaths are due to predators or
parasites. In captivity, their lifespan is much longer, ranging from ten to fifteen years for most species. On occasions, snails have lived beyond this lifespan, up to 30 years or more.
[7]
Diet
In the wild, snails eat a variety of different foods, including leafy vegetation, fruits,
manure and carrion. They can cause damage to
agricultural crops and
garden plants, and are therefore often regarded as
pests. When kept as pets, snails will eat nearly anything, and snail owners should make sure which diets are appropriate to the species involved.
'Predators'
Snails have many natural predators, including members of all major vertebrate groups,
decollate snails,
ground beetles,
leeches, and even the predatory caterpillar ''
Hyposmocoma molluscivora''. The
botia family of freshwater fish also feed on freshwater snails by sucking them out of their shells.
In the pulmonate marsh snail, ''Succinea putris'', there is a parasitic flatworm,
Leucochloridium paradoxum which prevents the snail from retracting its enlarged and parasitized eye stalk, which thus makes the snail much more likely to be eaten by a bird, its final host.
Humans also pose great dangers to snails in the wild. Pollution and the destruction of habitats has caused the extinction of a number of snail species in recent years.
[8][9]
Land snails as food
Snails are eaten as food in some parts of the world. When cooked alive, the snails wake up and attempt to escape from the casserole, so if the casserole does not have a lid, constant attention by the chef is needed. It is noted that the snails may consume food that is toxic to humans, and these toxic compounds may remain in their digestive system, so a 2-week purification is needed before cooking.
Europe
Snails are eaten in several
European countries, as they were in the past in the
Roman Empire. Mainly three species, all from the genus ''
Helix'', are ordinarily eaten:
★ ''Helix pomatia'', or ''edible snail'', generally prepared in its shell, with
parsley butter (size: 40 to 55 mm for an adult weight of 25 to 45 g.; typically found in
Burgundy,
France).
★ ''Helix aspersa'':
★
★ ''Helix aspersa aspersa'' also known as the
European brown snail, is cooked in many different ways, according to different local traditions (size: 28 to 35 mm for an adult weight of 7 to 15 g.; typically found in the
Mediterranean countries of Europe and
North Africa and the French
Atlantic coast).
★
★ ''Helix aspersa maxima'' (size 40 to 45 mm for an average weight of 20 to 30 g.; typically found in North Africa).
Cooked French Escargots
Snails are a known delicacy of the
French cuisine, where they are known called ''
Escargot''. In an
English language menu ''escargot'' is generally reserved for snails prepared with traditional French recipes (served in the shell with a garlic and parsley butter).
Snails are also popular in the
Portuguese cuisine (although not in the
north of the country) where they are called in
Portuguese ''caracóis'', and served in cheap snack houses and taverns, usually
stewed (with different mixtures of
white wine,
garlic,
piri piri,
oregano,
coriander or
parsley, and sometimes
chouriço). Bigger varieties, called ''caracoletas'', are generally grilled and served with a butter sauce, but other dishes also exist such as ''
feijoada de caracóis''. Overall,
Portugal consumes about 4,000 tonnes of snails each year
[10].
Traditional
Spanish cuisine also uses snails ("caracoles"), consuming several species such as ''Helix aspersa'', ''Helix punctata'', ''Helix pisana'' or ''Helix alonensis'' among others. Small to medium size varieties are usually cooked in several spicy sauces or even in soups, while the bigger ones may be reserved for other dishes such as the "arroz con conejo y caracoles" (a
paella-style rice with snails and rabbit meat, very popular in the inner regions of south-eastern
Spain).
In
Greece, snails are popular in the island of
Crete, but are also eaten in other parts of the country and can even be found in
supermarkets, sometimes placed alive near partly refrigerated
vegetables. In this regard, snails are one of the few live organisms sold at supermarkets as food. They are eaten either boiled with
vinegar added, or sometimes cooked alive in a
casserole with
tomato,
potatoes and
squashes. A third cooking method is the ''χοχλιοί μπουμπουριστοί''
[11] traditional Cretan dish, which consists of fried snails in olive oil with lemon.
In
Sicily, snails (or ''babbaluci'' as they are commonly called in
Sicilian) are a very popular dish as well. They are usually boiled with salt first, then served with tomato sauce or bare with oil, garlic and parsley. Snails are similarly appreciated in other Italian regions, such as
Sardinia.
Snails are also very popular in
Catalonia, where they are called "caragols" or "cargols." In fact, a snail celebration, the "Aplec del cargol," takes place in
Lleida each May, drawing more than two hundred thousand visitors from abroad.
Heliciculture is the farming of snails. "They are protected in the wild almost everywhere (at least, the
Roman Snail must not be collected any more), but the Roman Snail and the Garden Snail (''Cornu aspersum'') especially are cultivated on snail farms."
7
Snails (or ''bebbux'' as they are called in
Maltese) are a quite popular dish on the Mediterranean island of
Malta.
Elsewhere
''
Achatina fulica'', the Giant East African Snail, is sliced and canned and sold to consumers as escargot.
In parts of
West Africa, specifically
Ghana snails are served as a delicacy.
Achatina achatina, Ghana tiger snails, are also known as some of the largest snails in the world.
Various snail species are also eaten in
Asian cuisines as well.
Gallery
See also
★
Snail racing
★
Pasilalinic-sympathetic compass
References
1.
Effects of serotonin, dopamine and ergometrine on locomotion in the pulmonate mollusc Helix lucorum, G.A. Pavlova, , , Journal of Experimental Biology, 2001
2. Conchologists of America FAQ no. 6
3. Fun Animal Facts
4. One-Trial Associative Learning Modifies Food Odor Preferences of a Terrestrial Mollusc, Christie Sahley, Alan Gelperin, and Jerry W. Rudy, , , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
5. www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00791.x
6. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0014-3820(199208)46%3A4%3C907%3APIAFSR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F
7. The Roman snail or escargot (''Helix pomatia'')
8. Centre for Biological Diversity: snail extinction update
9. Hawaii's Extinct Species – Snails
10. According to the article ''Comemos três a quatro mil toneladas de caracóis por ano'', by Joana Ferreira da Costa, in the 26.08.2007 edition (n.6358) of the daily newspaper Público.
11. http://greekfood.about.com/od/maindishes/r/kohlifried.htm
External links
★
The trail of the snail
★
Snails kept in captivity as pets
★
The World of Snails
★
AppleSnail.Net
★
Farming Roman Snails
★
Snail eating snails
★
Brown garden snail
★
Molluscs
★
How to eat a Greek snail
★
Eating your garden snails
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