Types of snails: marine and terrestrial

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 7 August 2021
Update Date: 22 June 2024
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Comparing Land Snails to Water Snails - Venn Diagram
Video: Comparing Land Snails to Water Snails - Venn Diagram

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Snails, or snails, are among the animals little known to most people. In general, thinking about them results in the image of a small being, with a slimy body and a shell on his back, but the truth is that there are different types of snails, with several features.

be marine or terrestrial, these gastropods are a mystery to many, although some species pose a pest to human activity. Do you want to know the types of snails and their names? Then pay attention to this PeritoAnimal article!

Types of sea snails

Did you know that there are types of marine snails? It is true! Sea snails, as well as land and freshwater snails, are gastropod molluscs. This means that they belong to one of the oldest animal phyla on the planet, as their existence is recognized from the Cambrian period. In fact, many of the sea shells we can find are actually some of the types of sea snails we'll mention next.


The marine snails, also called prosobranchi, are characterized by having a soft and flexible body, in addition to a conical or spiral shell. There are thousands of species, which have different types of food. However, they generally feed on plankton, algae, corals and plant debris they harvest from rocks. Others are carnivorous animals and consume clams or small marine animals.

Some species breathe through gills, while others have a primitive lung that allows them to absorb oxygen from the air. these are some types of sea snails and their names:

1. Conus magus

called ’magic cone’, inhabits the Pacific and Indian oceans.This species is known because its bite is poisonous and sometimes lethal to humans. Its venom has 50,000 different components, called conotoxic. Currently, the Conus magus is used in pharmaceutical industry, since the components of its venom are isolated to produce drugs that alleviate pain in patients with cancer and HIV, among other diseases.


2. Patella Vulgate

Known as common limpet, or vulgate patella, is one of the endemic types of snails from the waters of Western Europe. It is common to find it stuck to rocks on the banks or in shallow waters, which is why it is among the most used species for human consumption.

3. Buccinum undatum

It is a mollusc present in the Atlantic Ocean, can be found in the waters of the United Kingdom, France and North America, where it prefers to inhabit areas with temperatures of 29 degrees. The species does not tolerate exposure to air, so its body easily dries out when it is removed from the water or washed ashore by waves.


4. Haliotis geigeri

Known as sea ​​ears or abalone, the molluscs belonging to the family Haliotidae are appreciated in the culinary field around the world. O Haliotis geigeri is found in waters around São Tomé and Príncipe. It is characterized by an oval shell with several turns that make up a spiral. It lives attached to rocks, where it feeds on plankton and algae.

5. Littorine littoral

Also called snail, is a mollusc that lives in the Atlantic Ocean and is found in abundance in areas around North America and western Europe. They are characterized by presenting a smooth shell that forms a spiral towards the most protruding part. They live attached to rocks, but it is also common to find them on the bottom of boats.

Types of terrestrial snails

You land snails are the best known to human beings. They are characterized by having a softer body that is more visible than their marine relatives, in addition to their unavoidable shell. Most species have lungs, although some snails have a gill system; therefore, although they are considered terrestrial, they need to live in moist habitats.

they have a mucus or drool it comes off the soft body, and is what makes it possible for them to move on any surface, be it smooth or rough. They also have small antennae at the end of their head and a very primitive brain. These are some of the types of land snails:

1. Helix pomatia

Also called escargot, is a typical garden snail widely distributed throughout Europe. It reaches about 4 centimeters in height and its color varies in different shades of brown. O helix pomatia it is herbivorous, feeding on pieces of fruit, leaves, sap and flowers. Its habits are nocturnal and during winter it remains almost completely inactive.

2. Helix asperse

O Helix asperse, called snail, is distributed over many areas of the world, being possible to find it in North and South America, Oceania, Europe, South Africa and part of the British Isles. It is a herbivore and is usually found in gardens and plantations. However, can become a plague for human activity, because it attacks crops. As a result, pesticides that are used for their control seriously pollute the environment.

3. Flattened Fulica

Among the types of land snails, the african giant snail (Achatina sooty) is a species native to the coast of Tanzania and Kenya, but has been introduced in different tropical areas of the world. After this forced introduction, it became a pest.

Give me between 10 and 30 centimeters long, featuring a spiral shell with brown and yellow stripes, while its soft body has the typical brown coloration. It has nocturnal habits and a varied diet: plants, carrion, bones, algae, lichen and even rocks, which it consumes in search of calcium.

4. Rumina decollata

Commonly known as snail (rumina decollata), this is a garden mollusk that can be found in Europe, part of Africa and North America. IT'S carnivore and consumes other garden snails, so biological pest control is often used. Like other terrestrial snail species, its activity increases at night. Also, he prefers rainy seasons.

5. Otala punctata

the snail cabrilla é endemic to the western Mediterranean region, however, it is now possible to find it in several countries in South America, in addition to the United States and Algeria. It is a common garden species, characterized by a spiral shell set in shades of brown with white dots. O Otala punctate it is a herbivore, and feeds on leaves, flowers, pieces of fruit and plant residues.

Types of freshwater snails

Among the snails that live outside the sea, there are thousands of species that live in the fresh waters of the rivers, lakes and ponds. Likewise, they are among the types of aquarium snails, that is, they can be raised as pets, as long as adequate conditions are provided for them to lead a life similar to what they would have in nature.

these are some types of freshwater snails and their names:

1. Potamopyrgus antipodarum

Known as New Zealand mud snail, is a species of freshwater snail endemic to New Zealand but now found in Australia, Europe and North America. It has a long shell with a well-defined spiral, and a white to gray body. It feeds on plant debris, algae and diatoms.

2. Pomacea canaliculata

Receives the common name of the street and is among the most common types of aquarium snails. It was originally distributed in the temperate waters of South America, although nowadays it is possible to find it in fresh waters as far away as those of Japan, Australia and India.

It has a varied diet, consuming algae found at the bottom of rivers and lakes, debris of any kind, fish and some crustaceans. the species can become a plague for humans, as it consumes cultivated rice plants and hosts a parasite that affects rodents.

3. Leptoxis plicata

O Leptoxis plicata, known as plicata snail (rocksnail), is a freshwater species endemic to Alabama (United States), but currently recorded only in Locust Fork, one of the tributaries of the Black Warrior River. The species is in critical extinction hazard. Its main threats are changes caused to the natural habitat due to human activity, such as agriculture, mining and river diversion.

4. Bythinella batalleri

Although it has no known common name, this species of snail inhabits the fresh waters of spain, where it is registered in 63 different places. It is found in rivers and springs. It is classified as a species of lesser concern, as several of the rivers it inhabited have dried up due to pollution and aquifer overexploitation.

5. Henrigirardia wienini

The species does not have a common name in Portuguese, but it is a gastropod mollusk. fresh groundwater endemic from the Hérault valley in southern France. The species is considered critically endangered and there is a possibility that it is already extinct in the wild. The number of individuals that currently exist is unknown.

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of snails: marine and terrestrial, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.