Can Snails Swim? Mystery at the Museum

[YoungPhysicist]

Today when I am at a museum, I found this:

There is a snail outside of the concrete square. There aren’t any land paths to it, the small creek completely surrounded it. Here is the inside of the square shaft:

I didn’t see any holes bigger than the snail’s shell, so that leads to a bizarre question:

Can snails actually swim?

This snail is a land species and the museum worker told me that the creek flows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

[DaveC426913]

I am not proud of how long I spent looking for the snail at the bottom of that well. You, sir, are a trickster.The bigger question: how long can they hold their breath?

 

[DaveC426913]

Seriously though, I don't see any reason why it could not have come up through a hole in the grate. They may look a little too small, but I wouldn't rule it out.

 

[YoungPhysicist]

Seriously though, I don't see any reason why it could not have come up through a hole in the grate. They may look a little too small, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Yeah, but those holes lead to the sewer system , which the main system is always full which the snail not only have to swim, it have to dive deep.

 

[YoungPhysicist]

I am not proud of how long I spent looking for the snail at the bottom of that well. You, sir, are a trickster.

Sorry. I marked the snail up.

 

[256bits]

It appears to me from the scenario that the snail has set out to explore the vast cave, witness its charms, and return as a hero to his clan with tails of his exploits and of the riches that he has seen. You might see tiny little statues of him in the days to come in Snail Land, as Slimey - The Great Explorer.

( Seriously, he/she just probably entered the water upstream, by accident or pleasure, and bonked against the concrete casing and took hold )

 

[YoungPhysicist]

( Seriously, he/she just probably entered the water upstream, by accident or pleasure, and bonked against the concrete casing and took hold )

Yeah, I have also thought about that, but I think when it bonked against the concrete casing, it should have shattered into a million pieces.

 

[YoungPhysicist]

You might see tiny little statues of him in the days to come in Snail Land, as Slimey - The Great Explorer.

I’ll wait and see

 

[256bits]

Yeah, I have also thought about that, but I think when it bonked against the concrete casing, it should have shattered into a million pieces.

The current is probably flowing at walking pace ( human walking pace ). the snail should be fine with the bonk.
Near the concrete wall the current slows down even more as the water spreads to either side of the barrier.

 

[YoungPhysicist]

The current is probably flowing at walking pace ( human walking pace ). the snail should be fine with the bonk.
Near the concrete wall the current slows down even more as the water spreads to either side of the barrier.

All right. I think the mystery is solved then.

 

[DaveC426913]

Yeah, but those holes lead to the sewer system , which the main system is always full which the snail not only have to swim, it have to dive deep.

You're guessing at all of this.

Snails live in cool, dark, wet places like sewers.

 

[Evo]

There are some branches that seem to be above the opening, it could have fallen in. A branch could have fallen and been lying across from the rocks to the cement and the snail went across and the branch has since gone downstream, stranding the snail. Many ways it could have made it there. A bird may have picked it up and dropped it.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

Near my house, I often find empty shells of snails. Now, my home is on a residential area, far from any place where snails might live. The small gardens nearby don't house snails. So, chances are that the birds pick up the snails, eat the animal inside and drop the shell. Maybe the snail you have seen has somehow survived, like @Evo said.

 

[YoungPhysicist]

There are some branches that seem to be above the opening, it could have fallen in. A branch could have fallen and been lying across from the rocks to the cement and the snail went across and the branch has since gone downstream, stranding the snail. Many ways it could have made it there. A bird may have picked it up and dropped it.

Near my house, I often find empty shells of snails. Now, my home is on a residential area, far from any place where snails might live. The small gardens nearby don't house snails. So, chances are that the birds pick up the snails, eat the animal inside and drop the shell. Maybe the snail you have seen has somehow survived, like @Evo said.

That also seems like a possible way for it to get in. I caught one of these snails a couple hours ago and dropped from 5 meters to the ground. It crawled away completely intacted, so I guess they are just generally way tougher than I thought they were.

 

[mic*]

How does one become expert enough in snails to identify this particular one as a land species, yet be unfamiliar enough with their behaviour to pose such a question?

 

[YoungPhysicist]

How does one become expert enough in snails to identify this particular one as a land species, yet be unfamiliar enough with their behaviour to pose such a question?

These are African snails and they are everywhere in Taiwan as Invasion species.
I am really familiar with them since I once do science projects on them.

But only them though, I am not as confident when dealing with other snails.

 

[jrmichler]

Some snails live underwater. It looks to my uneducated eye like a Chinese Mystery snail. It's an invasive species in Wisconsin (USA). I see a lot of them crawling around on a muck bottom. Whatever ate this one left the little baby snails inside.

I'm not a snail expert, but a DNR person told me that all of those snails were Chinese Mystery snails. Dimensions are 35 by 45 mm.

 

[BillTre]

I have dealt with several kinds of aquatic snails as while keeping aquariums over the years.

There are many different kinds of snails (duh!).
Different kinds of snails can do different things behaviorally.
Some aquatic snails can make brief excursions into the terrestrial realm for sure. I would not surprise me at all if there were land snails that could breifly go aquatic.

Other interesting snail behaviors:
Some aquatic snails actually go out of the water to lay their eggs above the water line and away from possible aquatic predators.
It is a common thing for aquarists to see aquatic snails clinging the the water's surface tension with its foot exposed to the air and floating around.
Some sea slugs (snail relative, like a snail without a shell) can actually swill through the water by flattening and undulating from top to bottom , like how a leach swims.

Considering all the other possible ways proposed by other people for the snail to get to where you found it, its location does not seem to be all that much of a mystery.

 

[stefan r]

If they have airpockets in the shell they should be able to float fine. May not need to know how to swim. could fall in and drift.

 

[Vagn]

There's a question on ResearchGate on https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_long_can_land_snails_survive_under_water.
It appears that it depends on the species of snail, but some species are capable of sustaining themselves underwater for some time.
Since the stream is quite shallow and appears to flow relatively slowly, it could be possible that the snail crossed the stream under its own power.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The bigger question: how long can they hold their breath?

I tried to kill slugs in a bucket of water and it didn't work. They moved out of the bucket underwater no problem. Funny thing is that if you put then in a bucket of beer they die in about 10 seconds.

 

[DaveC426913]

I tried to kill slugs in a bucket of water and it didn't work. They moved out of the bucket underwater no problem. Funny thing is that if you put then in a bucket of beer they die in about 10 seconds.

Bury a cup up to its rim in the ground, partly fill it with beer, and put a loose rock over it for protection.
The snails check in but they don't check out.

I did not know that the beer itself killed them. I've always assumed they just die from not being able to escape.

 

[Mark44]

Funny thing is that if you put then in a bucket of beer they die in about 10 seconds.

But with a big, sloppy grin on their faces.

Personally, I favor using IPA for killing snails -- that or "lite" beer of any brand. I save the good stuff, like stout or Scotch Ale, for myself.

 

[ChemAir]

I favor using IPA for killing snails

First decent use of IPA's I've heard of.

 

[davenn]

Personally, I favor using IPA for killing snails

IPA ?

 

[DaveC426913]

IPA ?

India Pale Ale.

 

[davenn]

India Pale Ale.

ohhh never heard of it

 

[Mark44]

ohhh never heard of it

Lucky you. It's a vile-tasting swill that seems to be very popular here in the US. It's called India Pale Ale, because it was able to survive the voyage from England to India without going bad. Apparently they used a lot more hops to keep it from going bad, which gives it a disagreeable flavor, IMO.

 

[YoungPhysicist]

Sprinkling salt on them is also a great way to kill them, too. They turn into a solid meat ball.

 

[davenn]

Lucky you. It's a vile-tasting swill that seems to be very popular here in the US. It's called India Pale Ale, because it was able to survive the voyage from England to India without going bad. Apparently they used a lot more hops to keep it from going bad, which gives it a disagreeable flavor, IMO.

the oddball things we learn on PF
gotta love this place Dave