Many do not even notice these little creatures, snails, whose slowness has become proverbial. They have been living on Earth for a long time, and over millions of years evolution has practically not modified them – apparently, mother nature believes that they are already well adapted for survival. It’s hard to argue with this, since snails have been living on our planet much longer than humans, and, apparently, quite successfully. And in some countries they are even a delicacy, and are actively used in local cooking.
Interesting facts about snails:
In snails of the same species, the color of the shell can differ significantly – it depends on the menu of these creatures, as well as on other living conditions.
Both salt and sugar are very poisonous to snails.
By the number of teeth, it is snails that occupy the first place on our planet. They have about 25,000 of them! True, all their teeth are so small that they need to be looked at under a microscope.
Snails contain more proteins than chicken eggs.
These creatures do not know how to chew, so they simply grind food particles to a gruel state.
It was the snails that had the honor of becoming the first real cyborgs – a group of scientists during the experiment managed to transfer the neurons of the experimental individual to a computer chip.
In the event of the onset of cold weather, they can fall into long hibernation, for up to 5-6 months. While hibernating, snails can successfully tolerate temperatures down to -100 degrees or more.
Most species of snails are hermaphrodites and do not need partners in order to reproduce.
The snail’s funny horns are its olfactory organs. In fact, they are a nose turned inside out.
Charles Darwin, the creator of the theory of evolution, cited snails as an example of a life form that can adapt to almost any environment.
Snails cannot stand caffeine – its 0.01% content discourages them eat food, and a 1% solution is completely capable of killing them.
The British traditionally have such a folk sport as snail races for speed. So that they crawl where they need to, paths are “drawn” on the table in front of them with lettuce leaves.
The first snails appeared on earth about 600 million years ago, long before most dinosaurs ever roamed our planet.
To communicate with relatives, snails touch each other.
The shell of a snail is almost always twisted clockwise. Individuals with a shell that twists counterclockwise are extremely rare.
To facilitate the process of movement, the snail creates a kind of mucus cushion between its sole and the surface, and crawls along it.
The eyesight of snails is very weak, they can only distinguish between light and shadow. However, they have a very keen sense of smell, and at a distance of a couple of meters they easily detect food.
All types of snails are deaf. They simply do not have hearing organs.
Many species of snails live for 14-15 years, which is comparable to the life expectancy of animals such as lynx or a tiger.
Even fairly large snails can safely crawl along a sharp knife blade without getting hurt.
