Have your children ever brought home snails? Probably yes. Didn't you, as a child, expect with great interest when this animal would appear from an intricate hut and put out moving horns? Most likely it was. Let's get to know these animals better, because snails are even bred at home. For what? Let's see. So, our “experimental” is a grape snail.
There are many different names for snails, and they depend on the regions of its habitat. For example, in ancient Rome there were special snail farms, because it turns out that these animals are very tasty and in many countries are considered a delicacy to this day. Nowadays, the snail is known throughout Europe, except in places where the climate is too harsh. But even despite the harsh, sometimes little snowy winters, it feels quite good in the suburbs.
Grape snail is active only in the warm season. She can winterwait, burrowing 5-10 cm deep into the ground. It does this when the temperature drops below 10-12 degrees. Having closed the mouth of the shell with a lime lid, the animal falls asleep before the onset of spring.
The shell of the grape snail is strong enough. It can withstand up to 13 kg of weight. The porous structure allows it, with sufficient strength, to weigh less and also to accumulate moisture. The color of the shell depends on the habitat of the snail.
In the summer, the grape snail lives in thickets of shrubs, in gardens and parks, in light forest edges, and is always close to a reservoir. The soil in the habitat of the animal is often limestone, and this is due to the calcium s alts that are needed to build the shell. The snail leads a nocturnal or twilight way of life and loves high humidity. And after the rain, she is especially active.
It may seem strange, but the grape snail lives a long time. Often in nature, this animal reaches the age of 20 years. Of course, this is possible if the snail is not eaten (hedgehogs, birds, mice, weasels, etc.), or it does not come across to a person who destroys these animals as pests.
The snail feeds on plants (both cultivated and wild): fresh or rotten leaves, young shoots. The snail loves strawberries, grape leaves, burdocks, dandelions, cabbage, even horseradish and nettles do not bypass. This animal is considered an agricultural pest, because the snail harms the young shoots of cultivated plants. There are even countries that have banned the import of these animals into their country.territory.
In our time, given the fact that the grape snail, the care of which is quite simple, is considered a delicacy, this animal is bred on farms in France, Spain, Greece, Germany. Snail meat contains 10% protein, 30% fat and 5% carbohydrates. It is rich in vitamins and trace elements.
But the grape snail, the photo of which you can see, has meat, which is a strong aphrodisiac and is applied to cosmetology. Also, biologically active substances have led to the use of snails in medicine for the production of drugs for bronchitis and diabetes.
