I personally am a big fan of snails. I think these little critters are so misunderstood and I have always had a soft spot for them. So, to make them seem less weird and hopefully convince everyone to stop looking at them with such disgust I have complied some fun facts about them that I have learned throughout the years of being a snail lover!

Snails have the most teeth of any animal

When I discovered this fact I too was very surprised but although you may not see them, snails have up to 20,000 teeth. If that wasn’t impressive enough, some species of marine snails are said to have the strongest teeth in the game and it is said that they can withstand the pressure that is used to make diamonds!

Snails don’t have jaws
Now I know what you’re thinking, but wait you just shared that they had 20,000 teeth! Well I wasn’t lying they do indeed have up to 20,000 teeth but they aren’t connected to a jaw like ours are, instead they grow along this thing called a radula which is an elongated sac that snails use to scrape their food along and digest it instead of chew.

Snails can sleep for up to 3 years

If you didn’t know, snails need constant moisture to survive which is why they are so slimy. If the snail senses that the environment is getting too dry for their liking, they shut down and go into a sleep to preserve their mucus and stay moisturized. These “sleeps” can last anywhere from a few hours to 3 years! This is why they are my favorite animal, I wish I could sleep for 3 years.

Snails can be Omnivores or Carnivores

These animals maybe small but they sure are mighty! Snails can eat anything from some tree bark to small insects they may find. Sometimes if they come across cement or limestone rock they can take that into their little radula and digest it. They truly can adapt to anything.

The biggest snail is 12 inches long

I would like to highlight the biggest snail of them all: the Giant African Snail. Although this snail is large and in charge, it is actually considered to be an invasive species in many parts of the world due to its rapid reproduction rate and large appetite. These snails are herbivores which means they’ll eat any plant material they may find, whether that is fruit or tree bark they are down for a good feast.

This is my list of some of my favorite snail facts. I hope these can show you that snails are actually super cool!

Books about snails are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.