Mr. Snail breathes...but how?

This week, I've had many unpleasant experiences while spending time with Mr. Snail. I wasn't able to find snails easily, lots of mosquitoes bit me during snail feeding time, and most importantly, it has been difficult to take them off my hand.

Regardless of the challenges, snail feeding time is the most uplifting part of my day.

As a highly sensitive person, I find snails to be the least 'vampire-ish' living creatures. I say that because they give me much love. It also helps that they haven't come across as energy vampires to me. If anything, they help me relax my stimulated nervous system at the end of my day.

Mr. Snail helps me breathe. It helps me unwind and give myself a break.

Now, I wonder, how does Mr. Snail breathe?

Literally, how does it breathe? Does it have a nose like us?

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Well, snails have small breathing pores called pneumostomes. Snails breathe air that pass through these breathing pores. Interestingly, Mr. Snail has muscles that control the opening and closing of the breathing pore.

Research suggests that land snails take oxygen within thin-walled blood vessels. These blood vessels are in the mantle cavity under Mr. Snail's shell. As we know, water is an essential component for breathing. Water is also required for the snails to maintain their moisture and equilibrium. Hence, loss of water during breathing can be a challenge for land snails.

However, land snails are gifted with a thick fold of skin in the mantle that helps preserve water during breathing.

We know that humans have a diaphragm in their chest cavity that helps with respiration. Similarly, Mr. Snail utilizes its breathing pore and its mantle cavity for respiration. The breathing pores open and close, whereas, the mantle cavity floors are raised and lowered by Mr. Snail during respiration.

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Isn't it fascinating?

Mr. Snail might come across as an unusual animal and isn't often given much importance. However, I'm here to encourage you to alter your mindset about them.

Snails are givers and beautifully formed. We can learn about the snails by knowing more about their body structure, habitat, and behavior.

If we stopped eating or ignoring them and truly spending time with them, we would realize the love they can hold for human beings.

I experience their love and friendship first-hand, wouldn't you want to too?

-Don't be a stranger,

Pranita

[P.S. - The details mentioned in this post are only for land snails.]

Reference:

Montana University. Snails. Agresearch.montana.edu