Common Garden Snail
Helix aspersa
-33.4532, 151.432
Field Notes
Description:
There are over 1000 species of native Australian snails and slugs. However, most of the snails and slugs we find in our gardens are not natives. Over 65 land and freshwater snails and slugs have been introduced to Australia from overseas. But only a few of these have become pests. The Common Garden Snail, Helix aspersa, has been in Australia for well over 120 years. It's a pulmonate gastropod that is one of the best-known of all terrestrial molluscs. Today, it is by far the most widespread of all our introduced species, existing in all states and territories. These snails live in non-tropical areas and avoid desert country. In Europe, predators such as thrushes and blackbirds keep Helix populations in check and cold winters limit their breeding to warmer months of the year. In Australia, warm winters allow Helix to breed for most of the year, and the lack of predators have led to it becoming a major pest. A couple of interesting facts - The top speed of a Garden Snail is around 0.048 km/h. Still, their unique method of sliding along on a single ‘foot’ while releasing a bed of low-friction mucus is perfect for their way of life, but does require a humid or wet environment to avoid drying out. Also, snails are hermaphrodites.
Habitat:
Garden snails are found in urban areas.
Notes:
This particular snail was having a good munch on some potted Greek Basil, a garden herb. It was taken inside for closer inspection. In their own right they're quite amazing creatures. One thing I find curious is that I recall it only having two tentacles. This is usually the case with native snail species in Australia, but not with the imported snails. Perhaps it had them tucked away, perhaps not. In these photos, however, it's quite clear that there of only two.
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