# Island Apple Snail (*pomacea maculata*) The Island Apple Snail is a colorful creature that loves to float in fresh water! Its big, round shell can be a fun sight to see in ponds and swamps. - **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** They live in freshwater environments like ponds, marshes, and swamps. - **Also known as:** Apple Snail, Giant Apple Snail, Pomacea Snail ![Island Apple Snail](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Pomacea_insularum_2.jpg&width=800) Photo: Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 us · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pomacea_insularum_2.jpg) ## Appearance The Island Apple Snail has a large, rounded shell, typically olive to golden brown, often with darker spiral bands. Its most distinct feature is the bright pink, red, or orange egg clutches it lays above water. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Mollusca - **Class:** Gastropoda - **Order:** Architaenioglossa - **Family:** Ampullariidae - **Genus:** Pomacea ## Interesting facts - A hard 'trapdoor' lets them seal their shell completely shut! - Their eggs are famously bright pink and contain a special neurotoxin! - These snails are champion plant eaters, often clearing entire aquatic plant beds! - This snail can breathe both air and water using special gills and a lung! ## Special abilities - **Snorkel Breath:** Island Apple Snail can use a long breathing tube because this helps them get air from the surface while submerged. - **Shell Door Shield:** Island Apple Snail has a hard operculum that helps them seal their shell, protecting them from drying out or predators. - **Pink Poison Eggs:** Island Apple Snail lays vibrant pink eggs above water, which helps protect them from being eaten by aquatic creatures. ## Measurements & details - **Size:** 10 cm - **Weight:** 150 g - **Lifespan:** 3 years - **Clutch Size:** 1500 - **Growth Rate Cm Per:** 2 months ## Diet & Feeding They eat many aquatic plants and algae, helping to keep waterways clear. - **Age differences:** Young snails eat mostly algae; adults prefer larger aquatic plants. - **Primary Foods:** Aquatic macrophytes, Algae, Detritus, Submerged vegetation - **Foraging Method:** Grazing ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Snail Kite (*Rostrhamus sociabilis*) — A bird whose diet is mainly apple snails. - **Eats:** Broadleaf Cattail (*Typha latifolia*) — Consumes the leaves and stems of this aquatic plant. - **Eaten by:** [Largemouth Bass](https://www.snappit.app/explore/largemouth-bass) (*Micropterus salmoides*) — Predatory fish that eats snails and their eggs. ## 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. - [Filter Feeder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/filter-feeder): Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. ## 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 Island Apple 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 big is Island Apple Snail? 10 cm ### How much does Island Apple Snail weigh? 150 g ### How long does Island Apple Snail live? 3 years ### What does Island Apple Snail eat? They eat many aquatic plants and algae, helping to keep waterways clear. ### Where is Island Apple Snail usually found? They live in freshwater environments like ponds, marshes, and swamps. ### How does Island Apple Snail hunt? Grazing ### How many eggs does Island Apple Snail lay? 1500 ## Where to spot - [Lake Seminole](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lake-seminole) — Georgia, US · Natural Landmark - [Clear Lake Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clear-lake-park) — Florida, US · Park ## 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: [Island Apple Snail: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/island-apple-snail)