Few people know, but a snail is not only an elongated fleshy body. They have a full head and even legs. In addition, parts of the body of the cochlea include the internal bag and mantle (fold). The mollusk moves on its sole located at the bottom of the leg. The movement is caused by muscle contraction, which creates a kind of wave. In order for the cochlea to glide as comfortably as possible, a large amount of mucus is released from its epithelium.
What is a mollusk shell?
A sink is an integral part of any snail. Thanks to the external skeleton, the latter can be protected from attacks by natural enemies and from the influence of other natural factors from the outside. And the sink helps maintain moisture.
The outer skeleton itself resembles a cone. By the way, precisely because of this form, the organs of the cochlea are asymmetrically located. The upper layer of the skeleton is usually smooth or has small growths.
Snails without shell
Of course, not all mollusks boast a multifunctional external skeleton. Often in nature you can find snails with a reduced shell, which is a calcareous plate located inside the mantle. Such mollusks are called slugs. The most popular habitat is any garden or vegetable garden.
Mucus Details
As we said earlier, snail mucus is very important for its movement. It contains complex protein (mucin) and simple water.
Snail mucus has unique properties that are very popular in modern cosmetology. It is about anti-aging, sunscreen and moisturizing effects.
Do snails have teeth?
Surely, some of us have at least once been interested in this question. It is known that mollusks are both herbivores and predators. In this case, the teeth of the snails should be certain, otherwise how else can they chew food?
That's right, they have them. Photo snail teeth can be seen below.
They are located directly in the tongue, which the mollusk uses in order to cut and grind pieces of food. Scientists can also easily examine snail teeth under a microscope.
It is worth noting that the teeth of mollusks are not quite what we represent in the traditional sense of the word. All representatives of gastropods have a special organ in their mouth - radula. So he is the analogue of the tongue and teeth, which we spoke about earlier. It is noteworthy that in poisonous snails, the cavity of the radula also plays the role of storing poison, which is secreted from a special gland.
What about quantity? The bill goes to thousands, and usually it all depends on the size of the mollusk itself. So, for example, when asked about how many teeth an Achatina snail has, the answer will be considered correct - 25, 000. This is despite the fact that Achatina are real giants among their relatives. In small mollusks, the minimum amount is usually about 10, 000 teeth.
Snail in the wild - where does it live?
Almost any climate and all continents are suitable for mollusks. Exceptions are only Antarctica and hot deserts. Some mollusks can be found in the Pacific Ocean, in the vast expanses of the Mediterranean and even in the Arctic Ocean.
The most comfortable places for these creatures are: Europe, Africa, America and Australia. Very often they can also be found in the territories of Asia and Russia.
So that the bodies of mollusks do not dry out, they need to consume a lot of moisture. That is why they live very comfortably in places with high humidity.
What is included in the diet
Snail nutrition depends on where it lives. The diet can be very diverse: fresh plants, other small snails, worms, representatives of insects and crustaceans, fish and even carrion.
Land snails are always happy to feast on leaves, berries, vegetables, grass and tree bark. For young individuals, eating fresh food is a priority, while old ones will not refuse rotten plants.
Tips for those who want to start raising snails at home
In the previous chapter, we talked about how you can feed any snail. So that she can grind all this, there must be enough calcium in her teeth. In case of deficiency, the mollusk will begin to grind its own shell.
All this will end with the complete destruction of the defense and, as a result, the death of a snail. Calcium deficiency can be prevented with the help of special tablets or crushed eggshells, which will be used as feed.
If snails are kept in an aquarium, they can be fed fish food, special plants, algae tablets and finely chopped vegetables. It is strictly forbidden to give clams human food. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that there are never any newspapers nearby. If the snail is full of paper, then after such a feast it can no longer be saved.
So that the aquarium does not lose all the vegetation, you will have to control the number of your pets. A small amount will perfectly cope with the destruction of all that rot that accumulates over time.
