Snails and Shells
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Snails that shoot poison darts
Cone snails hunt prey by shooting harpoon-like poisonous darts at them. The toxins of some species can kill humans - but are a great hope in biomedical research. Cone snails are threatened through habitat loss and exploitative collecting mainly for their picturesque shells.
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Snaily Methuselahs
The life span of different snail species can vary considerably. While some slugs live for a season only, some shelled snails might reach an age of several decades!
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Farming snails
Similarly like leaf-cutting ants, a marine snail is capable of enhancing the availability of a fungus. It eats wounds into healthy plant parts, and then nourishes itself on the fungus that settles in the plant wounds.
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Saving the Queen conch
The Queen conch is making a favorite dish for gourmets in the Caribbean and in Florida. Consequently, it suffers from commercial exploitation. A new snail farm dedicated at saving the species has now been established in Florida.
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When snail shells get new inhabitants
Empty snail shells are no waste in nature. There is quite a large number of organisms that uses them for shelter. Most famous among them: the hermit crabs.
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Butterflies of the Sea
Sea slugs, also called butterflies of the sea, are extraordinarily colorful snails that live in all oceans. Their colors serve as camouflage on certain substrates - or as a warning to potential predators: do not eat these toxic snails.
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Discovery of a living fossil
A deep sea expedition in 1952 revealed a very peculiar mollusc whose closest relatives were only known as fossils: Neopilina galathea, a small, limpet-like snail, has been a zoological sensation.
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A Spotted Cellar Guest
The spotted garden slug appears to have a special preference for crawling into humid cellars. But is it really a pest? The diet of this slug is incredibly diverse, ranging from fungi to plants and other small animals.
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The Ear-like Shell of Abalone
Abalones have quite an unusual shell: Since the last whirl of the flat shell is always much broader than the previous ones, it resembles a human ear.
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The solved mystery of pearls
Pearls have been thrilling humans for centuries. Though, few are aware of the fact that these structures are the result of a mussel's reaction to an invader in its tissue.
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Dart-shooting snails
Some snails of the familiy of Helicidae shoot little chalky darts into their partner's body while mating. Recently, scientists found that dart-shooting snail "fathers" have more offspring.
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Land snail diversity in tropical rainforests
Tropical rainforests are known to harbor an extremely rich diversity of insect and plant species. But what about snails?
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Extract from mosses helps to protect crops from snails
How to combat snails in the garden, without applying polluting ingredients? German researchers found a natural ingredient that keeps snails away from crops just as efficiently: moss extract.
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Worm snails aren't worms
Worm snails are among the most extraordinary Molluscs. They live sedentarily in irregular tubes, and feed by releasing mucus strains into the water, in order to catch planktonic organisms.
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Chitons
Chitons are "primitive" molluscs, living at rocky shores similarly like limpet snails. With their body protected by eight flexibly jointed, shell-like plates
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Mucus trails help snails find their way back home
How do they find their way from a shelter place to a good meal? Since snails leave a trail of mucus while moving, they have a perfect means to facilitate orientation.
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Hibernating snails
Since snails mostly live for at least a few years, they have to cope with winter conditions. Shell-carrying snails, such as Helix pomatia, usually hibernate buried in the ground, closing their shell with a solid lid made of chalk.
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Digenetic parasites and their amazing life cycle
Digeneans are exceptional among parasites, in that they have astonishing life cycles involving several host species. Their young grow up in a different host than the adults.
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Viviparid snails
Viviparid snails are rather unusual among freshwater snails. They give birth to live young, and live quietly as filter feeders. The lid on the back of their foot allows them to survive well in swamps and shallow waters.
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Giant clams
Tridacna gigas, the largest clam on earth, reaches massive dimensions. Sometimes it is called "killer mussel", although accidents with this clam occurred only very exceptionally.
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About Shell Collecting
Collecting shells is a fascinating hobby, but one has to keep in mind that the demand for rare shells might be a threat to some species.
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Rafting snails
Most snails creep on a slimy trail secreted by their foot. Some marine snails can also swim - and some build their own raft to float at the water surface.
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Unionid mussels start their lives as little parasites
Most mussels grow up as unprotected larvae which float around as part of the plankton. The Unionids, a group of freshwater mussels, found a parasitic alternative to this risky way of growing up.
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Moorean snails were on a fast pace to extinction
For animals on islands, there is a particular threat of extinction: The introduction of foreign predators. The story of the Partula snails on the French Polynesian island of Moorea is a striking example.
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Achatinids - feared and appreciated giant snails
Their size is impressive. Some people keep them as pets, others appreciate them on gourmet plates. But Giant African Snails are among the most harmful introduced pests in the warmer climate zones.
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Molluscan Pondhoppers
How do aquatic snails get from one pond to another? If two isolated ponds are within a distance close enough, tiny juvenile snails may travel in the feathers of water birds..
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