Partula Snails
Mainly pale to dark brown bodies with spiral shells which vary from grey to brown in colour. Some also have white on their shells. There are several types of this snail, their size, shape and colouration varying according to on which of the Pacific Ocean islands they live. As with other snails, they retract their bodies inside their shells and move with the help of a single ‘foot’. Part of their mouth, called the radula, contains tiny teeth which grind down their food.
What they eat
Algae and decaying plant materials.
How long they live
From 2 to 5 years
Biology
Partula snails are hermaphrodites, having both male and female sex organs. Despite this they mate in pairs after a gentle courtship, touching each other on the tentacles and mouths. Before mating Partula snails fire ‘love darts’ at each other. One of them expels a chalk-like calcium carbonate ‘dart’ into the other’s head, after which the partner snail reciprocates by firing a return dart. Mating can take up to eight hours after which, following two weeks of fertilisation, both partners eventually giving birth to fully formed shelled offspring.
Did you know?
Partula Snails are named after the Roman goddess of childbirth, Partula, because they are one of the few snails to give birth to live young.
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Species Profile
Common name
Partula Snail
Scientific name
Partula spp
Animal group/type
Invertebrate
Where they live
Islands of the Pacific Ocean
Habitat
They live mainly in trees in damp areas of dense forests.
Size
Up to 2.5cm
Weight
Approximately 1 gramme
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild or Extinct
Threats
Humans introduced the carnivorous Wolf Snail Euglandina rosea to the islands of the Pacific Ocean. It preys on the Partula snail and has decimated populations of many species of native Partula snail. Many species have already gone extinct, some now only survive in zoos as part of conservation breeding programmes.
Habitat destruction.