Did I offend Mr. Snail? Is that common snail behavior?
- Pranita Rao
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
Snails listen to humans
I have been trying to finish my science book this week and Mr. Snail has helped me with it. Yesterday, I was editing my work, and I realized I was overwhelmed. I began my search for Mr. Snail and found a shell close to a pile of dried leaves. I hoped Mr. Snail wasn't sleeping and picked it up instantly for company. Luckily, it was awake!
As I was writing with one hand, I was allowing Mr. Snail to bite on a green leaf on my palm on the other. I was sensing its gentle energy over my palm, while I was sharing my fears surrounding book publishing with Mr. Snail.
Snails get offended by humans
At one point, I noticed that suddenly it began retracting into its shell. I was wondering what happened. Had I upset it?
Today, I found a research paper that shared that snails retract their tentacles or entire bodies or retreat into their shells if someone offends them. When snail retracts, they invaginate, that is, they fold themselves inwards into a pouch or embryo-like formation. The normal retraction in snails happens in a sequence. It is as follows:
They lift the front of their foot.
They fold the front part of the foot along their midline.
They continue to fold the front part of the foot along the midline.
They fold the back of the foot.
Finally, they withdraw into their shells.
This is one of their peculiar behavior trait towards stimuli or sensitive stimuli. Who knew there was a biological process of retraction in snails? I didn't until today! Whenever I write about snails, I realize how much more there is to the snail world and their beauty.
Snails play with humans
I'm unsure what made Mr. Snail retract yesterday. I wonder if Mr. Snail was sensitive to what I was sharing or the leaf I was feeding it.
Regardless, I got its attention again by allowing it to play with my fingers. Mr. Snail enjoys checking if I am still there with it by touching its tentacles to my fingers repetitively. I think it requires my reassurance and honestly, I don't mind playing with Mr. Snail. I have begun calling our game 'tentacle bump'. It's a cool handshake between Mr. Snail and me!
Snails can be found in dirty lands, but you can also find them in your garden or near moist trees. If you begin to notice snails, please know that you can have a lot of fun with your discovery!
Do remember to share your fun discoveries with me.
-Don't be a stranger,
Pranita
Science Communicator and Author
P.S. - I use the term Mr. Snail affectionately to describe the snail that I feed on particular days :).
Reference: Reinhard D, Stallone P. A Study of Snail Behavior Directions for Students LENGTH of LAB GETTING READY. https://nabt.org/files/galleries/11_Snailing.pdf
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