Sea Snails

Characteristics of a Sea Snail

Sea snails have a regular spiral shaped shell. They have a small narrow opening for the head of the snail to come out. When a predator is after it it hides in its shell.On the head of the snail there are two tentacles with eyes. These eyes are very complex. Most snails are about 0.1 cm to 20 cm long.

What snails eat and how they eat

Snails mainly feed on algae and on decaying matters. To sense their food they use their radula or tongue to find food. When they find food they open their mouth and eat. Some carnivorous snails use their radulae to break through a mussel's shell.

Where snails live

They live in water. They live anywhere in the ocean as long as they can find an abundant amount of food.

How snails move

Snails move by using their muscles in their foot. This motion is aided by the cilia. When they move they leave a trail of slime.

Interesting facts

The slime trail they leave is venomous and fatl to humans. Snails are from the mollusc phylum. They are also known as gastropods. On their radula they have many thousands denticles or teeth.

Anatomy of a Snail