Not many people are aware as to what do snails eat! This article explains all the essential facts about the snails diet. Snail is the most familiar word that is given to the members of the class Gastropoda, having coiled shells in their adult stage. There are several types of snails namely land snails, freshwater snails and sea snails. Nevertheless, the word snail is commonly referred to as land snail. Now let’s come to the snails menu.
What Do Snails Eat?
There is special eating tool inside the snail’s mouth which is known as radula. The snails mouth is located at the lower part of the head, quite adjacent to the short tentacles. There are thousands of tiny teeth inside the mouth. Snails eat by asserting radula against the leaf rasping it and scraping away particles. This can be observed particularly when feeding a snail.
See also: Snail Facts For Kids
- Snails are herbivorous which is why most of their diet comprises plants and vegetation. In the wild, snails are very fond of eating leaves, fruits, mushrooms and other types of vegetation. These animals predominantly feed on living plants; however, they can ingest decaying plants as well.
- These species also feed on flowers, algae and plant bark. Since they need more calcium food which is basically required for their shell, snails primarily eat food that contains limestone such as chalk from rocks. These animals are also known to ingest damp paper or chalkboard.
- Land snails are akin to feed on vegetables, garden plants, agricultural crops, fungi, soft bark, and stems. These animals are frequently regarded as pests. There are some snail species that are omnivores as well as carnivores.
- When snails encounter any danger against any predator, they tend to hide their softer parts underneath the shell or sometimes bury themselves. Snails, especially land snails, have natural predators including ground beetles, leeches, hedgehogs and decollate snails.
- Water snails are likely to feed on algae therefore, if you’re keeping these snails as pets then don’t put them in a tank of vegetation (you’re fond of); they’ll consume it all. Larger snails are known to eliminate all plants in just a few days. Actually snails go for the microscopic creatures along with the algae to live a vigorous ecosystem.
Did you know that There are around 15,000 horny teeth inside the snail’s jaw. Isn’t it amazing? Read on more such interesting facts about snail at Snail Facts for Kids
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