We have been learning about what invertebrate are found in our Frankley Bush and I chose to find out more about snails. I hope you learn something from my research...
Icky Snails
Did you know there are different types of snails? There are sea snails, terrestrial snails and freshwater snails. My report is about land snails.
Breeding
Some snails lay eggs and stay by the nest to look after them. Some baby snails are already equipped and can look after themselves as soon as they are born. When the snails are first born they eat their egg shell and some dirt which provides protein then makes the shell harder. Protein helps muscles grow.
Strength
A snail may move very slowly but it is very powerful.
Some snails can lift 200 times their body weight. If heavy mud or dirt fell on them it could still move around.
Predators
The snail shell only works sometimes against its predators. If a human stood on it it would crush but if a bird tried to eat it it couldn’t. Their enemies are skinks, turkeys, chickens, and humans can step on them by accident.
When a snail is scared it will go into it’s shell. Snails only come out at night so they won’t get attacked by their predators.
Diet
Snails eat vegetables like cabbage and other leaves and also worms. To eat a worm it opens it’s mouth wide and slowly slurps it up like a piece of spaghetti. They eat at night.
Habitat
Snails live in a bushy area, so they can protect themselves from the sun and don’t dry up. They eat at night when it is cool. Snails hide in dirt and leaves, things that are the same colour as their shell. This is called camouflage.
Snails are part of the mollusc family, just like their cousins, the squid, the slug and a clam.
