Country Life Creatures Animal Charm Page

Snails

There are thousands of species of snails. The snail is both male and female. Depending on the species snails can live 5 - 25 years. A snail is most active at night and on cloudy days. It does not like the sunshine very much. . During very cold weather or winter, it hibernates in the ground. The body of the snail is long, moist and slimy. It has a shell to protect its soft body. When the snail is disturbed, it simply withdraws back into its shell. The snail also retreats into its shell and seals the entrance in dry weather to protect its body from drying up. The snail has two sets of tentacles. One pair is longer than the other pair. The eyes are on the longer pair. The shorter pair is used for smelling and feeling its way around. The snail moves by creeping on a flat "foot" underneath the body. The "foot" has a special gland that produces a slimy mucus to make a slippery track. The majority of snails eat vegetation such as leaves, stems and flowers and fruit

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