Many people overlook the existence of snails, small animals that move slowly in the garden or can be found in marine environments. These molluscs are characterized by having a shell and leaving behind a kind of slime that they use to move around.
How much do you know about them? If you are interested in knowing them, you should know what their diet consists of. If you've been wondering what do snails eat, then you can't miss this article on our site. Read on to find out everything about feeding snails!
Types of snails
Before I tell you what snails eat, you need to know the different types of snails that exist. We can classify them according to the type of habitat in which they live:
Land snails
Land snails are characterized by using a kind of "mucus" or "slime" to move, which helps them climb sloped or rough surfaces. In addition, they have a shell that covers most of their body, which allows them to hide from predators.
In addition, these types of snails have two pairs of retractable tentacles: one has eyes, while the others They allow you to feel the objects around you. Land snails are hermaphrodites, however, they cannot self-fertilize, so they must copulate to reproduce.
Freshwater snails
This type of mollusc has managed to colonize puddles, lakes, lagoons and rivers around the world, since there are more than 4,000 species. Like land snails, freshwater snails are hermaphroditic, however, in this case the reproduction of snails surprises us, because in this case it is they are able to fertilize their own eggs The life expectancy of freshwater snails is approximately one year, but there are specimens that live up to five years.
Sea snails
The types of sea snails live in s alty waters and are characterized by the presence of a large spirally wound shell, which presents an opening that gives way to the white body of the specimen. In terms of their taxonomy, they have similar characteristics to other types of snails, however, they may have small differences in size or colorsA curious fact about marine snails is that their shell has been used since ancient times as a wind musical instrument, similar to a trumpet.
Where do snails live?
As you have discovered, there are many types of snails distributed around the world, so they inhabit different ecosystems, from areas with warm climates and deserts, to high and cold mountain areas. Now, where exactly do snails live?
Land species typically live in areas populated by humans, as well as living in forests and heavily vegetated areas. It is easy to observe them on cloudy days, since they are not usually exposed to the sun's rays for a long time. They prefer to hide on the ground, but that is not why they remain inactive, since they move in search of food.
As for sea snails, they inhabit oceans and seas all over the world. There are species that live near the shores, while others prefer areas more than a thousand meters deep. Freshwater snails, for their part, are found in rivers, lakes and ponds all over the world, although they prefer the warmer and more humid areas. In these places, it is very common to see them next to rocks
What do sea snails eat?
Like all living things, snails need to eat to survive. Marine species have a varied diet, so there are snails that are herbivorous animals, while others consume different species of animals, thus becomingomnivores or carnivores
What do sea snails eat? In general, they feed on plankton, a microscopic organism present in the water. Other species ingest detritus found on the seabed, while others consume algae or submerged rock compounds, as well as clams and sea sponges
What do land snails eat?
Have you ever wondered what garden snails eat when you see them among your plants? Here's the answer.
The first thing you should know is that snails' vision is quite poor, so they use their sense of smell to find their food. In general, this should be rich in calcium, as they seek this component to strengthen their shell and protect themselves from danger. They are mostly herbivorous animals, so their diet consists of vegetable remains, pieces of fruit, and even stones or dirt.
Despite this, there are some types of land snails that are carnivorous and even feed on smaller snails.
What do freshwater snails eat?
Continuing with the feeding of snails, you should know what aquarium snails eat The goal, both in home aquariums and in those where you can go to observe the fauna of the rivers, is that the food is as similar as possible to what these animals would have in their natural habitat.
Now, what do freshwater snails eat? In the wild, they consume algae, remains found on stones, aquatic flora and plankton. In addition, in his home aquarium you can also offer him flake food for fish.
How do snails eat if they don't have teeth?
Now that you know what the different types of snails eat, you need to know how they do it. At first glance, it seems that snails lack teeth, since their soft body does not reveal any such structures. However, how do snails eat if they do not have teeth? The answer is simple: they have an organ called a radula, which is similar to a jaw. Inside the radula it is possible to find rows of tiny chitin teeth.
Once the snail has obtained its food, it carries it to the radula, where it scrapes it over and over again until it breaks down enough to continue the digestion process. The snail's teeth suffer a lot of damage over time, because of this, they are continually replaced by others.
What do snails drink?
This is a question many people ask. You already know what these gastropod molluscs eat, but what do snails drink? They don't actually drink water like humans or other animals, but walk over wet surfaces to absorb it through their lower body.
This mechanism allows them to acquire the necessary nutrients to preserve and strengthen their shell. However, if the snail does not find moist surfaces, it resorts to eating food whose composition contains a sufficient amount of the vital liquid.
How to take care of a snail?
If you want to have a snail as a pet, you must consider some conditions to guarantee a good quality of life. To care for a snail, follow these tips:
Pick a good house
Although the shell serves as a refuge from predators, you should Make a space so that it feels calm and safe. You can buy a plastic or glass fish tank that has ventilation, natural light and enough humidity.
Cover the surface of the tank with substrate, it can be soil, loam, mulch and mossMake sure it does not contain pesticides, since which can be harmful to snails. Also, it is important to note that snails eat cardboard, so you should discard this material when you give it a house.
Decorate the nest
Snails are very curious animals, it is recommended that you decorate your home with climbing twigs, plants, rocks and interestingobjects with the that can interact. You should never place glass, ceramics or sharp objects.
Feeding
You must make sure that your snail is always well-fed Place the food at the opposite end of the tank, away from the nest, so that the snail must move at feeding time, this will help preserve your home, make cleaning easier and allow you to exercise.
Don't forget that they require a food rich in calcium, so you need to add well-crushed egg shells to their consumption. The rest of the diet will depend on the type of snail and the species.
