Have your children ever brought home grape snails? Probably yes. But didn’t you expect in childhood with great interest when this little animal emerges from an intricate hut and exposes its moving horns? Most likely, this was. Let's get to know these animals better, because snails are even bred at home. For what? Let's see. So, our “experimental” is a grape snail.
The snail has many different names, and they depend on the regions of its habitat. For example, in ancient Rome there were special snail farms, because it turns out that these animals are very tasty and in many countries are considered a delicacy to this day. Nowadays, the snail is known throughout Europe, except for places where the climate is too harsh. But even in spite of severe, sometimes little snowy winters, he feels rather well in the Moscow Region.
The grape snail is active exclusively in the warm season. She can wait out the winter, burrowing 5-10 cm deep into the ground. Does this when the temperature drops below 10-12 degrees. Closing the mouth of the shell with a lime cover, the animal falls asleep before spring.
The shell of a grape snail is strong enough. It can withstand up to 13 kg of weight. The porous structure allows it with sufficient strength to weigh less, and also to accumulate moisture. The color of the shell depends on the habitat of the snail.
In the summertime, the grape snail lives in thickets of shrubs, in gardens and parks, in light forest edges, and is always close to a reservoir. The soil in the habitat of the animal is often limestone, and this is due to the calcium salts that are needed to build a shell. The snail leads a nocturnal or twilight way of life and loves high humidity. And after the rain she is especially active.
It may seem strange, but the grape snail lives a long time. Often in nature, this animal reaches the age of 20 years. Of course, this is possible if the snail is not eaten (hedgehogs, birds, mice, weasels, etc.), or if it does not come across to a person who destroys these animals as pests.
The snail eats plants (both cultivated and wild): fresh or rotten leaves, young shoots. She loves snails, strawberries, grape leaves, mugs, dandelions, cabbage, and even horseradish and nettles. This animal is considered an agricultural pest, because the snail harms the young shoots of cultivated plants. There are even countries that have banned the import of these animals into their territory.
Nowadays, given the fact that a grape snail, the care of which is quite simple, is considered a delicacy, this animal is bred on farms in France, Spain, Greece, Germany. Snail meat contains 10% protein, 30% fat and 5% carbohydrates. It is rich in vitamins and minerals.
But the grape snail, the photo of which you can see, has meat, which is a strong aphrodisiac and applies to cosmetology. Also, biologically active substances have led to the use of snails in medicine for the production of medicines for bronchitis and diabetes.
