Snail – Bucking Around in the Rain

Snail

The snail is an ancient mollusk that has been gliding along leisurely for over 600 million years, leaving a trail of glistening slime in its wake. Over such a long period of time, they’ve adapted to all environments and can be found everywhere on the planet. If a snail dries out it dies, so they secrete mucus to keep their soft bodies moist and to provide a lubricant that enables them to crawl over rough surfaces. Snails are most active at night under the cover of darkness when it’s safer and cooler. They have a ferocious appetite and love to consume fruits, vegetables and flowers which frustrates even the most experienced gardeners. They’re content to spend their days buried underground avoiding the sun’s harmful rays. If the soil becomes saturated from heavy precipitation, and floods their subterranean chambers, hordes of them will emerge from the depths gasping for air. Land snails have lungs and can easily drown in too much water. They appear to delight in these wet-weather gatherings because the birds are held at bay and the slick concrete provides an ideal surface for bucking around in the rain.

I photographed this snail at Animal Kingdom Park in Florida on just such a day. The remarkable shell is spiral-shaped and grows with mathematical precision as the mollusk gets larger. My seven-year-old son was flabbergasted by their sudden appearance and became consumed with collecting and scrutinizing such unique little creatures. We traveled clear across the country to Disney World and experienced all the rides and shows but I think my kid’s favorite part of the trip was capturing snails during a hurricane. I guess some of the best things in life really are free.