Snails are gastropod molluscs that most people know little about. There are many types of snails, but beyond their curious appearance topped with a shell, the life cycle of these small animals is a mystery to many.
Types of snails
Before I talk to you about the reproduction of snails, you need to know a little more about the many species that exist. They are gastropod molluscs and are among the oldest animals on the planet, as there are records of their existence since the Cambrian.
In addition, there are different types of snails in the world, terrestrial, marine and freshwater:
Land snails
They are the best known to humans. They have a characteristic soft-bodied appearance with a shell or carapace over it, usually spiral-shaped. They move through contractions and thanks to the slime or mucus that comes off their body. The different species have a varied diet. There are snails herbivores that feed on leaves, fruits and detritus, to snails carnivores that devour to other species of snails.
Sea snails
Marine snails are distributed in the oceans and seas around the world, where they live at different depths according to the species. They have the same soft body, but with shells of various shapes, colors and sizes Many of the marine snails are used for human consumption, while the sting of some species is poisonous.
Freshwater snails
There is a third type of snails, they are those that live in the fresh waters of rivers, lakes and lagoons around the world. It feeds on algae, plant debris, diatoms and other substances. They present characteristics similar to marine snails, although they are adapted to a s alt-free environment.
Now, how do snails hatch and reproduce? What is their reproductive cycle and how do they mate? Next, we clear up these and other questions.
How do snails reproduce?
If you are interested in knowing how snails mate, you must first know that they are a hermaphrodite species, that is, each individual has male and female gonads. However, they are not capable of self-fertilization, so the reproduction of snails requires the participation of two individuals.
Before initiating copulation, the snails carry out a ritual of courtship This consists of rubbing their radulae, a structure located in the mouth of these molluscs. In addition, this phase of mating is accompanied by an increase in the secretion of mucus to slime and an increase in the feeding of the snail.
After this, comes the moment of penetration. How do snails mate? Each of the individuals introduces the spicule, a kind of penis or male organ, into the reproductive orifice of its partner, which allows the release of thecalcareous darts to excite the area. As a result, each snail deposits inside the other the spermatophores , sacs full of sperm.
Once the sperm sac is deposited, they remain in the genital tract until they are transported to the fertilization chamber, where they unite with the ovules. For this reason, the same snail is capable of storing spermatophores from different pairs.
The snail mating process lasts between 5 and 10 hours for each pair, a process that can be repeated approximately every 21 days. Regarding the breeding season, it prefers the seasons of spring and autumn, when they await the most humid and warm nights. After this process, the incubation phase begins and the subsequent birth of the snails.
In the following YouTube video of the Viente Mocholi Grau channel you can see how two snails reproduce:
How are snails born?
When snails reproduce, it is necessary that between 10 and 50 days pass after mating before oviposition. Do snails lay eggs? The answer is yes! We are therefore talking about oviparous animals The period varies according to the species, but the climatic conditions also play an important role in spawning.
When do snails lay eggs? Given the right heat and humidity conditions, each snail will dig a hole in the ground to lay its eggs, this process will take around 20 minutes On some occasions, they may supplement the nest with dry leaves, twigs, and soil, after which the snail covers the eggs. This last step is very important, since the humidity stimulates the development of the offspring.
With humidity between 75 and 85%, snail eggs take between 7 and 25 days to hatch, a process that is usually occur during especially rainy nights. When the snail has hatched, it remains in the incubation chamber, surrounded by dirt and debris, for between 5 and 10 days, during which it will feed on all the matter around it, including its own shell. After this time, it will dig until it comes out of the hole to continue its life cycle.
In this video you can see the birth of the snails from the YouTube channel Tu Ración Diaria De Internet:
How to know the age of a snail?
Knowing the age of a snail It is not easy at first glance, since they are small animals, most of them of the species. However, one of the main ways to achieve it is this, through the size, if you know the species, you will be able to determine if it is a adult or a baby snail according to the centimeters you measure.
Despite this, we know that the method can be unreliable, but there is another. Although they are hermaphrodites, when they reach adulthood it is possible to observe the fully developed sexual organs Taking this into account, a snail with barely visible sexual organs would be a hatchling, another with developing or immature organs would go through the juvenile stage, to be seen fully defined in adulthood.
Even so, each species has unique characteristics, since there are snails that live only one year, while the hope of others is 16. Because of this, even for biologists and experts, it is impossible to determine a single characteristic that shows the age of a snail.
How do aquarium snails reproduce?
The explanations offered on the reproduction of snails correspond to the land species, however, when it comes to the types of marine snails, the process may vary slightly. If you have aquarium snails or just want to know how sea and freshwater snails mate and hatch, this section is for you.
Once they reach adulthood, they await the breeding season that takes place during the warmer seasons of the year Several males gather around a female to court her. One or two males may then approach her from the front of the body to stimulate spawning or introduce her genial organ, as some species have internal fertilization and others external
In the case of internal fertilization, the rest of the process is similar to that of land snails. On the other hand, when fertilization is external, l a female lays eggson a sandy substrate, through her genital opening. After this, the male fertilizes them, so he is usually present during spawning. The female then covers the eggs with sand and seashells to protect them. They can lay between 100 and 150 eggs in each clutch, although the number depends on the species.
Eggs hatch when temperatures rise, usually 5 to 7 days after laying. During this stage, they feed on the remains of the shell and plankton.
In this video from the YouTube channel aetven you can see the birth of freshwater snails:
