Snail

Distribution: Native from Southeast and Central Europe; introduced all around the world except for poles and Oceania

Size Length: 3.5 to 5 cm

Age of maturity: 2 to 4 years

Life expectancy: Around 10 years

Diet: Herbivore

IUCN red list status: Least concern



The snail (Helix pomata) is part of a class of animals called gastropods (Gastropoda) from which there are known to be around 43000 species, this class is characterized by a singular shell that most of the times has a spiralled form. During their development occurs a process called torsion that is the rotation of the visceral mass and mantle on the foot, resulting in the cavity of the mantle and anus are moved to the anterior part of the body.

Snails (Helix pomata) are hermaphrodite animals, which means that an individual has both sexes present. They have a complex mate choosing process that will not occur if there are too many snails in the territory due to the fact that their slime secretion represses their capability of reproduction. In case it occurs the posture might be between 8 to 30 eggs, being possible to occur from 2 to 6 times a year.

Although they are mainly nocturnal animals due to the cooler temperatures they hibernate during winter.