Snails might be small and slow, but that doesn’t mean they should be ignored. They are important for the environment due to their role in the decomposition process and are also quite interesting creatures. These fun facts below show it.
Snails Are More Than 500 Million Years Old
Snails have been around longer than most species on Earth. Fossil remains show that snails came into existence more than 500 million years ago.
Snails Don’t Have a Sense of Hearing
Like all gastropods, snails don’t have a sense of hearing. Instead, they rely on vibrations and their tentacles and lips to “hear” the world that surrounds them.
Snails Come in All Sorts of Different Sizes
Depending on the species, snails can be surprisingly small or surprisingly large. For example, some snail species are so small that they can comfortably pass through the eye of a needle. On the other hand, Giant African Snail can grow to fit the human palm with lengths up to 15 inches.
Snails Are Hermaphrodites
Most snail species are hermaphrodites. This means that they have both female and male reproductive organs.
Snail Are Born With a Shell, and It Doesn’t Stop Growing
Snails have a shell on them from the moment they are born. As they grow, so does their shell, expanding on the edges thanks to the calcium carbonate that the snail produces.
