Mystery snail

May 15, 2009 9:03 AM

I came across an interesting gastropod on the way to work today. Anyone have an idea as to what kind of snail this is? I'm curious. Thanks in advance! :-)
posted by font_snob to pets & animals (7 comments total)

My wife has snails in her pre-school classroom and has used the Petsnails website to identify them once or twice. Now if only they had more information on slugs, she'd be all set.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:20 AM on May 15

Some variety of Olivella is my guess, though those are mainly marine so far as I know. Where are you and what kind of spot did you find it in?
posted by Rumple at 10:22 AM on May 15

I'm sorry I don't know the name, I just think of them as water snails. They're always on the rocks in the shallows of lakes and rivers where I live (ND)
posted by Eicats at 10:26 AM on May 15

Yep, looks like the snails that mysteriously appeared in my pond after I dug it. See here for more on pond snails.
posted by mudpuppie at 10:35 AM on May 15

Seconding the request for your location.
posted by ODiV at 11:44 AM on May 15

My location! Sorry for leaving that bit of information of the post. I found the snail in Brooklet, Georgia, where I work.
posted by font_snob at 12:17 PM on May 15

Looks like Euglandina rosea or the rosy wolf snail. It's a predatory terrestrial snail native to your neck of the woods. According to the Global Invasive Species Program:

the rosy wolf snail has been introduced to more than 20 oceanic islands as a biocontrol agent against the giant African snail Achatina fulica and other snail pests. While there are no indications that it has been successful in controlling the giant African snail anywhere, it has caused the extinction or decline of indigenous snail species wherever it has been introduced.

If you are keeping it around for a while to observe you'll want to feed it slugs and smaller snails.
posted by rosebengal at 10:29 PM on May 15