World_of_Animals_Issue_46_2017

ExtrEmE
SNAILS
Famous for their slow speed and fragile shells,
these molluscs possess secret powers that are
almost beyond belief
Words Amy Grisdale
An estimated 80,000 snail species exist on Earth,
surviving in arid deserts and abyssal ocean depths.
Most are marine species, while around 40 per cent
live on land. All of these species share common
traits as members of the Gastropod class. This
name literally translates as ‘stomach foot’, as the
insides of a snail are twisted in such a way that the
digestive organs lie directly above the fleshy ‘foot’.
Their protective shell is made from tough calcium
carbonate; a substance that can withstand high
pressure and temperature and acts as armour.
Most terrestrial species are herbivorous, but a
great number that live in the ocean are meat-eaters,
and some have developed extreme adaptations to
take down animals that are larger and faster than
themselves. Those that live on shores face exposure
to predators and battle the elements on a daily basis,
while some invade fresh water despite breathing air.
Snails make up 80 per cent of all living molluscs
and are an incredibly successful group of animals that
emerged around 250 million years before the first
dinosaurs, and survive across the planet to this day.
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