Snails: Are there different sexes in the snail world? Why do they all feel feminine?
- Pranita Rao
- Apr 14
- 2 min read
It wasn't one big snail!
A few weeks ago, I was passing through a sewer and saw a humongous snail. At first, I didn't notice it. Soon, I realized that there were two snails copulating and were looking like one snail. It felt so sacred, and I had never seen snails copulate. I quickly paced away from there to give both the snails privacy.
So, are there different sexes in the snail species?
Interestingly, snails can be both male and female at once or there could be male and female snails with different sexual organs. Most land snails are hermaphrodites, that is, they are both male and female at once and this phenomenon can be seen in one snail. I realize that Mr. and Mrs. Snail who were copulating, would have been hermaphrodites, as they were land snails. The copulation usually happens in the form of love darting, that is, Mr. Snail shares a love dart with sperm packets that enter Mrs. Snail's copulation pouch. This is tricky as this process can stimulate Mrs. Snail's digestive system. However, Mrs. Snail's hormones help the sperm packets escape the digestive pouch and direct them to the fertilization chamber.
Isn't that cool, how the anatomy of Mrs. Snail co-operates with the copulation process?
Although, I can't help but think why Mrs. Snail's body must make extra effort.
Snails instill feminine qualities in me
In the past few weeks, it has become more apparent that snails help me with improving my feminine qualities. I've been observing their movement and gentle touch. Their gentle energy soothes me, reminds me to slow down and adopt ways that help me believe in myself before acting in my physical world. Such encouragement seems more of a feminine-driven way of living to me.
It's awesome!
How about you, dear snail lover? Have you spent time with a snail recently?
I am a firm believer that snails like to spend time with humans. So, please don't hesitate to spend time with them.
Until next time!
-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 :). To respect the content in this post, I humbly request readers to look at snails as sacred beings that are equal to human beings.
Reference: The Living World of Molluscs. www.molluscs.at. https://www.molluscs.at/index.html
For Some Snails, Reproduction is a Jab Well Done. carnegiemnh.org. https://carnegiemnh.org/for-some-snails-reproduction-is-a-jab-well-done/
Please note: Please visit and subscribe to my blog 'Snail Territory' to read more about snails, snail research, and human-snail
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