Mr. Snail's short tentacles attracts its mate
- Pranita Rao
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
What's happening in the snail world?
In the past few days, I've had the chance to see snails mating, hibernating, and searching for food.
Yesterday, I touched a tentacle on Mr. Snail's head and heard myself saying 'sorry' to it the next second. Mr. Snail got scared and began shrugging within its head.
However, I soothed Mr. Snail with a Jasminum flower petal.
Did you know? Snails have two sets of tentacles!
I have already covered the longer tentacles in this blog post. Today, I will share about the shorter and seemingly more delicate ones.
Snails have two sets of tentacles that support them with various functions and act as great sense organs. The shorter tentacles are located slightly below the longer ones. They remind me of the tiny cat and dog whiskers!
Snail experts suggest that snails utilize shorter tentacles to find their mating partners. This is possible because the shorter set is sensitive to olfactory hormones that help snails search for a partner. An interesting fact is that Roman snails use their tentacles to touch each other to smell the olfactory hormones off each other.
I realize that Mr. Snail has detective tools to recognize its mate.
Isn't that marvelous?
Where do I find a snail?
I am truly awe-struck by the snails I've fed. They are often overlooked because of their size and pace. Some might believe that they aren't useful to human beings. However, that's far from true. Spending time with snails has taught me about an area of science that requires attention. Snails have a lot of love to give, and I witness that love every day.
You may ask but where do I find them?
Well, my friend, start small. I suggest scouring your garden or going to your local garden. I'm sure there would be some snails hanging out near the sewers too.
If you are like me, highly sensitive and chatty, please do not forget to touch them and talk to them.
They can be your closest friends.
-Don't be a stranger,
Pranita
P.S. - I use 'Mr. Snail' affectionately to refer to the snails I feed.
Reference: Snails and Slugs (Gastropoda). www.molluscs.at. https://www.molluscs.at/gastropoda/index.html?/gastropoda/morphology/tentacles.html
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