Invertebrate
Garden Snail
Cornu aspersumAlso known as European Brown Garden Snail, Brown Garden Snail, Common Garden Snail
Garden snails move using a single muscular foot, gliding smoothly across surfaces on a self-secreted layer of mucus. They are hermaphroditic, engaging in complex courtship rituals that include shooting calcareous love darts into a partner to boost fertilization success. During dry spells or winter months, they retreat into their shells and seal the opening with a calcified mucus barrier to prevent desiccation.
MolluskHerbivoreNocturnal
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyLeaves, Seedlings, Decaying Vegetation
Predators
- Thrushes
- Hedgehogs
- Carabid Beetles
ThreatsChemical molluscicides, habitat disruption, extreme drought
HabitatsGardens, agricultural fields, parks, coastal scrub, open woodlands
Life span2–5 years
Classification
- OrderStylommatophora
- FamilyHelicidae
- GenusCornu
- SpeciesCornu aspersum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance; wash hands after handling.
Responsible observation
- Observation: Look on the undersides of wet leaves or near stone walls early in the morning or after rain.
- Handling: Handle gently by the shell without pulling abruptly, as strong suction can injure their mantle.
- Gardening: Protect young seedlings using copper barrier tape or physical traps instead of chemical baits.
Competitor "milchige schnecke, milk snail, milky snail, schwarzmund-feldschnecke" by Brook is licensed under CC BY 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. · cc-by
Predator (c) Вячеслав Юсупов, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Вячеслав Юсупов · cc-by
Competitor (c) Rachel Lee Harper, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Rachel Lee Harper · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Björn S..., some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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