Creature Feature: Apple Snail.

I apologize in advance for the video I am about to show you:



Yes, snails can actually be interesting to watch. I had the pleasure of seeing one of these up close and active. These are apple snails (family Ampullaridae), and they are among the most popular freshwater aquarium snails in the trade. The 6 genera in the family can be found in the freshwater areas of South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the lower parts of North America.  They are also marketed as "mystery snails," which is a complete marketing gimmick. These snails are far from a mystery, but still quite cool. We'll focus on Pomacea for now; other apple snails are fascinating in their own rights.

Apple snails are among the few truly amphibious snails. They have both primitive lungs and gills.  The mantle - the part of the body that yields a shell - is actually divided between the two types of respiration. Thankfully, most apple snails can stay aquatic; only if food runs out in the water will they move onto land. They have survived for over 50 million years for a reason.

The shell even looks apple-y.

That said, if you intend to breed apple snails, it is not as easy as it is with some other snails. Unlike most snails, apple snails have sexes - they aren't hermaphrodites. Each species of apple snail has its own egg-laying style and preferences, so adjust accordingly. We wish there was a cute Valentine's Day pic with snails, but these guys and girls sound difficult to sex properly.  If taken care of, some snails can get shells up to 6 inches in diameter.

Apple snails have mixed effects when introduced to non-native ecologies. In Taiwan, apple snails were marketed as a protein source, but fell flat on their not-faces and escaped into the wild after being unprofitable. The population then exploded; remember, these are versatile, adaptable creatures. Before they were bred in captivity, many apple snails were actually unwelcome hitchhikers in aquaria. Times change.

 Other people deliberately introduce apple snails (but not Pomacea) to out-compete and even eat more harmful snails that are vectors for parasites - some deadly, some just annoying. They are even eaten in Mexico. Mystery snails no more; apple snails are here to stay, but we make no promises about keeping the doctor away.

Creature Feature: Turban Snails.

This blog has been updating at a snail's pace lately. May as well do a snail.



If you are familiar at all with Japanese monsters, you have no doubt seen odd, spiky snail shells adorning a pink, hermitcrab-like monster. You may have also seen the monster "Cornutus" in the Korean MMORPG Ragnarok Online. Ever wonder where they came from? Well, wonder no more:



That snail is one of the many snails of the family Turbinidae, or "turban snails." The common name comes from their shells' resemblance to a turban; the scientific name has the same roots as the word 'turbine' - a  reference to a top used by ancient Roman children. There is another family called "top snails" that is similar to turban snails in several aspects.

Unlike most snail shells, the shells of turban snails spiral upwards. They are sometimes ringed with long spikes for protection. Turbo cornutus in particular has spikes curling all along the spiral of its shell.



Although the shell is the most visible feature to us humans, what really sets turban snails apart are their calcified opercula. The operculum is the 'door' that snails use to hide entirely inside their shells; in turban snails, it is a lot harder to break open. These have been used throughout history as incense and jewelery. Hell, some opercula from larger turban snail specimens have been used as paperweights.


This is Turbo marmoratus, one of the largest turban snails. It is native to the waters around Madagascar. Its shell is also a source of mother-of-pearl. 




Japan in particular has a rather interesting take on the turban snail. The turban snail is one of many animals that, after living for a certain amount of time, becomes a supernatural entity (a youkai). The result of a turban snail living for 30 or more years is called a "sazae-oni"- literally, "shellfish demon."



One of the most famous stories involving this youkai tells of an encounter with a group of pirates. After rescuing a beautiful woman from the sea, the pirates debated over who should have his way with her. She made it easy; she was all too willing to have sex with all of them. The next morning, the scallywags found that she had cut their nuts off, and tossed her back into the ocean. There she took the form of a giant turban snail; the pirates bargained with the snail for their balls back. The turban snail left with a hoard of pirate gold. (Testicles are sometimes called "golden balls" in Japanese (much like "jewels" elsewhere), so the pun is that gold was bought with gold.) Sounds like a good business formula to me.


Slowbro agrees.