# Garden Snail (*cornu aspersum*) The Garden Snail is a slow-moving creature with a spiral shell that can be found in many gardens. They love to munch on leaves and flowers, making them an important part of the garden ecosystem! - **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 35 - **Habitat:** Gardens, parks, and moist areas with plenty of vegetation. - **Also known as:** Brown Garden Snail, Common Snail, European Garden Snail ![Garden Snail](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Snail-wiki-120-Zachi-Evenor.jpg&width=800) Photo: Zachi Evenor, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snail-wiki-120-Zachi-Evenor.jpg) ## Appearance The Garden Snail has a distinctive globular, coiled shell, typically brownish-yellow with darker, broken spiral bands. Its soft, grey-brown body emerges with two pairs of retractable tentacles; the longer upper pair bears its eyes at the tips. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Mollusca - **Class:** Gastropoda - **Order:** Stylommatophora - **Family:** Helicidae - **Genus:** Cornu ## Interesting facts - A snail's 'tongue,' or radula, has thousands of tiny teeth for grating food. - Garden Snails are hermaphrodites, meaning each snail has both male and female reproductive organs! - They breathe through a tiny pore on their side, not through their mouth or nose! - They can repair their own shell if it gets damaged, growing new calcium to fix it. ## Special abilities - **Slime Trail Navigator:** Garden Snail can glide smoothly on a self-produced sticky mucus trail, allowing it to move over rough surfaces without injury. - **Shell Fortress:** Garden Snail can quickly pull its entire soft body into its sturdy, spiral shell for protection from predators or dryness. - **Drought Sleeper:** Garden Snail can seal its shell opening with a hardened mucus film to survive long periods of drought or extreme heat. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 3-5 - **Size:** 2.5-4 - **Weight:** 5-20 - **Lifespan:** 2-5 ## Diet & Feeding They are plant-eaters, feasting on leaves, fruits, and decaying matter found in gardens. - **Primary Foods:** Leaves, Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables, Algae, Decaying plant matter - **Foraging Method:** Grazing ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Song Thrush](https://www.snappit.app/explore/song-thrush) (*Turdus philomelos*) — Song Thrushes crack snail shells on stones to eat them. - **Eaten by:** [European Hedgehog](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-hedgehog) (*Erinaceus europaeus*) — Hedgehogs are important predators that eat many garden snails. - **Eats:** [Lettuce](https://www.snappit.app/explore/lettuce) (*Lactuca sativa*) — Garden snails commonly feed on lettuce leaves in gardens. - **Eaten by:** [Violet Ground Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/violet-ground-beetle) (*Carabus violaceus*) — Some ground beetles, like this one, prey on snails. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. ## Collections - [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Garden Snail? Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Garden Snail? 3-5 ### How big is Garden Snail? 2.5-4 ### How much does Garden Snail weigh? 5-20 ### How long does Garden Snail live? 2-5 ### What does Garden Snail eat? They are plant-eaters, feasting on leaves, fruits, and decaying matter found in gardens. ### Where is Garden Snail usually found? Gardens, parks, and moist areas with plenty of vegetation. ### How does Garden Snail hunt? Grazing ## Where to spot - [City Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/city-park) — Colorado, US · Park - [Crystal Cove Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crystal-cove-historic-district) — California, US · Historic District - [Discovery Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/discovery-park) — Washington, US · Nature Reserve - [Sonoma Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sonoma-botanical-garden) — California, US · Botanical Garden - [South Bonnie Brae Tract Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/south-bonnie-brae-tract-historic-district) — California, US · Historic District - [The Living Planet Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-living-planet-aquarium) — Utah, US · Zoo [View all places to see Garden Snail](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/garden-snail) ## More Invertebrate - [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral) - [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*) - [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*) - [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*) --- Source: [Garden Snail: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-snail)