Snail: The slow traveller with a portable house and its own glue

The snail is one of the commonest small animals in the garden and the forest, carrying its "house" on its back and crawling along slowly. Slow as it is, its design is remarkably clever. Let's meet this slow traveller with its home in tow.

Its body

A snail moves on a band of muscle called the "foot" — rippling it from back to front, it inches forward. As it crawls it produces slime: the slime protects its body and reduces friction, and also acts as glue that lets it climb vertical walls and even crawl upside down over a razor blade without harm. Its shell is a portable skeleton and a shelter — when threatened or when the weather dries out, it pulls itself inside.

Where it lives and what it eats

Snails are plant-eaters, feeding on leaves, fruit and decaying matter, including vegetables people grow. They love damp conditions and are especially active after rain. When the environment dries, a snail seals the opening of its shell and goes into a long sleep, emerging again after the next rain. Most land snails are simultaneous hermaphrodites, exchanging reproductive material when two meet.

Where it is found

Snails live all over the world, from forest and garden to farmland. Though many people see them as pests, they play a role in the ecosystem: they break down decaying matter and are food for many birds and small animals.

A note for grown-ups

You could watch a snail crawl with a child and look at the shiny trail of slime it leaves. Let your child mist it gently with a water sprayer, and the snail will slowly extend its tentacles — observing so gently teaches a child that patience and tenderness are the best ways to be with small creatures.