I’m a Snail

I’m a Snail

People ask who is slower

The snail or the turtle 

If there was a race between the two who would win

Well according to animal experts the snail is slower and smaller than the turtle. 

So if you held a race for both of them the turtle would cross the finish line first but the snail would persist and cross it as well in time. You as spectator would need patience to watch such a race.

Snails are amazing little shelled creatures. The shell serves for their protection and they can hide within their shell from potential predators. 

Some snails however are too big to retract their head into the shell given their shell size. 

Snails seek out damp living environments with plenty of moisture and an abundance of food to forage. Their food of choice are plants and vegetation usually with occasional insects and worms they come upon in the soil.

Snails have two pairs of tentacles on their head to help them in finding food, in navigating their terrain and for alerting them to potential dangers.

The tentacles are sensitive to conditions within their environment alerting them to potential threats within their radius of travel.

Snails also have two small eyes on one pair of their tentacles that help them in their movement as they can see what’s in their path.

Snails live on land and some live in water. The sea snail and fresh water snail live in water and the land snail lives on land but does seek water sources but it must be careful not to be swept up by the current or else it will drown.

There are an estimated 60,000 species of snails worldwide and they live on all continents.

There are even some species of marine snails that live in the cold Antarctica waters. 

Antarctica is not for the land snails but some sea snails can withstand the freezing conditions of the cold Antarctic waters. 

Land snails can be found almost anywhere on land with exception of Antarctica. You can find them in your garden roaming and rummaging through your grass and plants, or near waterways at a safe distance, in rainforests, in deserts, in mountains, in prairies and grasslands and areas where moisture and food is abundant. 

Snails are classified as mollusks and have inhabited the earth first in the sea during the Cambrian period some 550 million years ago.

Eventually some species of snails found their way to land 286 million years ago during the middle Permian period where they developed lungs instead of gills.

There are some snails that are without shells and are classified as slugs that have internal shells not visible and they live on land and are more vulnerable to predators. 

Snails and slugs prove very valuable to the medical community in many ways.

The slime that snails and slugs produce have been used by medical researchers, scientists and doctors in wound healing and have been imitated for their stickiness in bandage adhesives. 

We all benefit from snails and slugs. 

In medieval times snails were used for healing and for treating wounds and in treating various diseases that threatened communities. 

Snails have a life expectancy of 2 to 7 years in the wild but in captivity can live up to 15 years and some even longer if they’re lucky enough and well cared for. 

The life span of slugs is only 6 months to a year as they are vulnerable because their shells are internal, not external like their relatives, snails. 

Snails can serve as pets depending on what type they are.

A sea snail would need to be housed in an aquarium.

A land snail would need to be housed in a terrarium.

Both snails would need suitable environments and conditions that meet their needs as they experience in the wild and the tender loving care that pet owners can provide giving them an opportunity to live healthy and longer lives.

The world’s smallest species of snail is the Angustopila dominikae measuring at an almost unseeable 0.03 inches. They are microscopically small and have been found in China yet Vietnam lays claim to the Angustopila psammion which is smaller than a grain of sand and now considered the world’s smallest snail. 

The world’s largest species of snail is the Australian Trumpet that is a marine snail that inhabits the waters of Australia and is measured in feet measuring 3 feet to be exact and weighing a hefty 40 lbs.

As you can imagine the snail represents a diverse amount of species that range the gamut in size and weight. 

It kind of makes you wonder when you see a small land snail in your garden and picture the world of snails as a whole.

Baby snails are called hatchlings and are provided minimal care by their mothers beyond hatching then they are to fend for themselves. 

Snails have no range of emotion so they don’t recognize being lonely. They are mostly solitary creatures but also territorial in nature defending their space and their young. 

Snails are also wonderful creatures for the ecosystem because they control the insect population on land and in the sea they control the algae growth. 

Children are fascinated by snails and love to read about them and watch shows that portray them. 

One show popular with the kids that features a pet snail is the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants and his pet snail Gary who resides with him under the sea in Bikini Bottom. 

It is a wonderful show that examines life under the sea where SpongeBob is the main character with his friend Patrick, a star fish and Sandy, the squirrel who comes from Texas and lives in a tree dome along with many other sea life including Plankton, Squidworth and Mr. Crabs among others.

The creator of the show, the late Stephen Hillenburg was a marine biologist who had an idea and a vision which inspired him to create this popular show, SpongeBob SquarePants in 1999 with new episodes to date and 3 theatrically released movies. 

I crawl on land and not by sea. I am solitary and I like to hangout in the garden foraging for plants and must always be alert to my surroundings. I never want to be served on a dinner plate as escargot which is a popular delicacy so I stay away from such danger. 

I’m a snail