This morning, on my way out the door, I found a land snail in the driveway. What caught my eye was the trail it left as it moved — shown in the top photo. I thought that was amazing, and I joked with my wife that it must be lost… or drunk! This specimen was about .75 inch wide, had a relatively flattish spire, and was pale yellow in color. I went to iNaturalist to see if I could positively identify it, but alas, there’s just too much ambiguity for a novice like me. Generally speaking, my guess is that this is most likely a White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis). If not, other guesses are a leaf snail (Family Hygromiidae) or a member of Helix Snails (Family Helicidae). Meanwhile, my AI assistant believes it is Cellar Glass Snail (Oxychilus cellarius).
I shouldn’t feel bad about this. “It may be difficult, even for malacologists, to identify mollusks, simply because they do not usually possess many characters that are consistently useful for distinguishing among related species.” (Introduction | Terrestrial Mollusk Tool)
According to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension page on snail and slugs, terrestrial snails and slugs are most active on overcast or rainy days, and today has certainly started that way. There are about 90 terrestrial gastropods that call Maine home, so you are bound to find these snails or slugs just about anywhere in the state. Land snails are related to sea snails, like the common periwinkle, which are found only in intertidal and marine ecosystems. Maine is also home to freshwater snails such as the Bigmouth Pondsnail.
About the slime trail — it’s a mucus that the snail lays down to help with locomotion. Because it is sticky, it provides traction for the snail foot and enables it to crawl forward. But it also reduces friction for the snail’s body. It’s also a communications tool, alerting other snails to dangers, nutrition, possible mates and shelter via pheromones in the slime. Finally, some snails can release chemicals in their slime that are bitter or poisonous to potential threats.
My wife, a gardener, is not a big fan of the snails. In the spring time, I’ve seen here collect them in buckets and move them into the backyard which we are trying to return to meadow habitat.
Additional Notes:
- “All slugs and snails are hermaphrodites, so mating can happen between any two individuals of the same species.” Slugs and Snails - Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners.
- While land snails are edible, many sources advise against eating them because they tend to host parasites, diseases and other pathogens which can cause illness or death in humans.
Almanac
Today’s Forecast: Rainy conditions expected around 9am. Wind gusts are up to 9 mph.
| Weather | ||
|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature: 58 | High Temperature: 62 | Precipitation (in): .05 |
| Wind Direction: ESE | Max Wind (mph): 9 | |
| Sunrise: 5:02 | Sunset: 8:18 | |
| Lunar Phase: Full | Days to Next Full: 30 |
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