LAND SNAIL (Archachatina marginata) - The Federal University of ...

3.4 )fethodology
The experiment was conducted in two phases:
Phase I:
The phase was concerned. with the measurement of the live snails for their shell
parameters. The snails were cleaned with a damp cloth to facilitate the removal of
dirt which may have glued to their shell and subsequently affect their weight. The
snails were placed on a sensitive scale one after the other to determine their
weights, after which they were measured directly with the vernier caliper to
determine their length and width. A thread was lined along the length of each
whorl found on the snails shell to determine their width. This was possible by
placing the thread along the length of a ruler.
Phase II:
It involved the collection of data from the shell of a dead snail (Adult) gathered
through the measurement of the shell parts. The shells were properly washed with
a detergent and rinsed with water to ensure that the shells were free of dirt and
micro~organisms. The shells were measured for their length, weight, width and
width of the whorls using the sensitive scale, vernier caliper, thread and a ruler.
The internal volume of the shell was also noted. This was done by filling the shell
to the brim with water after which the water contained in the shell was measure
with a calibrated cylinder (250 ml).
3.5 Data collection
Seven shell measurements were taken in order to describe qualitatively the effect of other
shell parameters on shell surface area and internal shell volume.
(1) The weight (g)
(2) The length (em)
(3) The width (em)
(4) The number of whorls on a snail
(5) The whorl width (em)
(6) The internal shell volume (mt)
(7) The surface area (cm:t.)
The weight was determined directly on a sensitive weighing scale. Shell height measured
along the axis, and shell width measured across it, were also measured using a vernier caliper.
The shell volume was obtained by filling the shells to the brim with water and subsequently