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Project Noah Nature School
Arianta arbustorum
found myself a great "poser" among the snails I spotted today! A natural talent. It was worth all the mosquito bites I got! About 3 cm long he investigated the picnic-table whilst I was under it... Arianta arbustorum is a medium-sized species of land snail
Meadow and woodland, I saw a lot of them in all types of plants and even some trees
Arianta arbustorum has eight subspecies according to Wikipedia. Why are snails slimy? It is for them to be able to slide forward. The mucus comes in the area around the mouth of the animal, and the snail can then slide in its own mucus. The shell is a very good protection for the animal if the weather is too dry. Then the snail crawl into its shell and cover the opening with mucus. When the mucus are dry it helps to keep the moisture in the shell. And where is the snail during winter-time? Then they buries themselves into the ground and then crawls into the shell. They clog up the opening with dried mucus and calcium and form a cover that protects the animal from the snow and rain.
Spotted on Jun 27, 2013
Submitted on Jun 27, 2013
3 Comments
Thank you Kerry and Suzanne for your nice comments.
@ Kerry, haha, we have the same meaning for "under the table" over here :) I am just happy noone saw me in action yesterday... (and with action I obviously mean following a snail crawling under a table... I think I am becoming a nerd :)
I can only wonder what you were doing UNDER the picnic table Tiz! In Australia it means you have had too much to drink, if you are 'under the table'! Either way they are great photos.
Yes, this was a snail worth the mosquito bites. And now I know where a snail's slime comes from, too ... thanks.