The Round Mouthed Snail (Pomatias elegans) is a small, air-breathing, terrestrial (land) gastropod mollusc in the Pomatiidae family of operculate land snails. It is an invertebrate, because it does not have a backbone. Its shell is its exo-skeleton (outside skeleton).
The Round Mouthed Snail has a thick, whitish, conical shell and wide mouth with a chalky operculum (lid) at the rear of its body. The shell forms a whorl. The top of the spire points upward and the opening of its mouth is on the right – so it has a right-handed whorl, which is called a dextral shell. It can close its shell’s mouth with its lid. Its head extends to form a snout (proboscis). It has only one pair of tentacles on its head (instead of two pairs). Its eyes are at the tip of the tentacles.
It measures about 1.5 centimetres (haf an inch) in length. The female is slightly larger than the male.
It is found in warm climates in Europe. It prefers to live under vegetation in woodlands and suburban gardens. It lives in moist soil and is attracted to decaying material, such as leaf litter.
It is usually nocturnal, active mainly at night.
The Round Mouthed Snail is carnivorous, feeding on other snails, earthworms, and decaying plant matter.
It is hermaphroditic, which means that it is both male and female. It lays about 40-65 eggs, which hatch after 10-28 days. The eggs are deposited in a leaf, usually in the rainy season.
The Round Mouthed Snail lives for about 5 years.
Location of photographs: Paris, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM