- Snail and Slugs belong to a clade called Stylommatophora (Sty-lo-mat-o-for-a)
- A snail is a gastropod with a shell, a slug is a gastropod without a shell
- Their origin began about 150 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. Now, they're found everywhere on Earth!
- They like homes with plenty of moisture
- Slugs can can live up to 7 years but snails can live up to 20!
Snails and slugs like eating the leaves of young plants and leafy crops like lettuce. You'll know a snail ate your veggies if you see irregular shaped holes in them. This could kill the plants in your garden!
Even though they can hurt your plants, they also can help them! They release nutrients like nitrogen into soil that can help plants grow
There are many species that eat snails and slugs for dinner!
Do you know the names of all of these species? Can you think of anyone else that eats snails?
Literature Cited
- Frazier, Karen. Snail Facts for Kids. Love to Know. www.kids.lovetoknow.com
- Snail Life Cycle. BYJU'S. byjus.com
- https://factsaboutsnails.com/snail-facts/life-cycle-of-a-snail
Credits:
Created with images by Arpad - "Burgundy snails (Helix pomatia)" • Natalie - "Wood Mouse In Green Mossy Woodland" • Mikhail Blajenov - "Elephant shrew. Latin name - Macrocelides proboscideus" • Anton - "Portrait of a cute squirrel eating nuts in nature. Red animal with a funny look in the park or forest. Fluffy small mammal. Photo of squirrels in the wildlife. Green background." • Vlasto Opatovsky - "Gorgeous Fire Salamander, Salamandra salamandra" • moodboard - "13130029" • Wirestock - "Turtles climbing a stone at the water" • Nickola_Che - "Top view of uncooked bourguignonne snails au gratin, close-up"