Do snails have a circulatory system? Do they want to play with human beings?
- Pranita Rao
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
More rains, more snails
After a hot week, it rained heavily yesterday in Pune (India), which meant, a snail party! So many snails came out of hibernation mode. The heat made them invisible to me, as they hid inside the pipes and sewers. My recent snail feedings have included lots of tentacle high-fives from Mr. Snail. In the afternoons, I spend time in the garden, allowing snails to crawl on my palm.
Mr. Snail's circulatory system
A few days ago, I held a Mr. Snail and felt its blood vessels on my palm. It was a surreal experience, as I felt like there was more life to Mr. Snail. A question to ask ourselves would be if we know about the circulatory system in snails.
Well, 20% to 50% of Mr. Snail's body weight is made of blood. The blood pigment in snails is hemocyanin, unlike humans, who have hemoglobin. Instead of oxygen, hemocyanin works with copper as a binding agent in the blood. Hence, the oxidized blood of snails is blue. Mr. Snail's heart lies near its respiratory system. Unlike humans, Mr. Snail has two heart chambers called the atrium and ventricle. The atrium and ventricle are separated by a valve that prevents blood from flowing backward. The blood flows freely in the sinuses which are body cavities lined with tissue walls. Mr. Snail also has large blood vessels that transport blood to the foot or its visceral organs.
Mr. Snail wants to play
When we see a snail, we never wonder about its circulatory system or how much blood it is made up of (unless we are vampires or predatory animals). We probably think of looking after our gardens better for snails could act as pests. This is fair, however, snails offer humans a chance to slow down with them.
I often look at Mr. Snail crawl on my palm and wonder what it could be thinking. I try to sense its energy and sometimes, I feel as though it just wants to play with me, slowly.
How about you? Have you ever spent time befriending a snail?
It is almost as if they know that humans are stimulated most of the time and that we need them to slow down and play.
If not, why not?
I would be happy to hear your snail story!
-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: The Living World of Molluscs. www.molluscs.at. https://www.molluscs.at/index.html
Please note: Please visit and subscribe to my blog 'Snail Territory' to read more about snails, snail research, and human-snail relationship. Shortly, it would become a paid space with courses and group calls.
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