Snail on plastic straw.


Snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. Otherwise snail-like creatures that lack a shell (or have only a very small one) are called slugs. One species of land snail, the Giant African Snail, can grow 15 inches ( cm.) from snout to tail, and weigh 2 lbs. The largest living species of sea snail is Syrinx aruanus which has a shell that can measure up 91 cm in length, and the whole animal with the shell can weigh up to 18 kg (40 lbs). Snails can be found in a wide range of environments including ditches, deserts, and the abyssal depths of the sea. Although many people are familiar with terrestrial snails, land snails are in the minority. Marine snails constitute the majority of snail species, and have much greater diversity and a greater biomass. Numerous kinds of snail can also be found in fresh waters. Many snails are herbivorous, though a few land species and many marine species are omnivores or predatory carnivores.


Size: 2650px × 3371px
Location: Fairport, NY USA
Photo credit: © Peter Steiner / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: antenna, climb, climbing, eyes, home, house, land, moving, outdoors, protect, safe, scale, shell, slimy, slow, snail, straw, vertical