Snails are amazing creatures. The vast majority of all existing snails are hermaphrodites, i.e. creatures that have both male and female genitals at the same time. It is curious that at puberty the genitals of snails become exclusively female.
How do land snails breed?
Snails breed no more than once a year. The behavior of these creatures changes markedly when it comes time to mate. Snails begin to crawl more slowly than usual and make frequent stops. They can freeze in place for a long time, waiting for their sexual partner for hours. As soon as the second partner appears, the snails begin a kind of mating games.
Mating snails begin courting each other, merging in a mating dance. They swing from side to side, after which they are pulled up and in contact with each other using the so-called soles - the muscular leg. Snails tightly pressed against each other can lie in this position for up to half an hour.
Zoologists have noticed that mating games of snails can last up to 2 hours and end in mating. Fertilization between two snails occurs in a needle-like manner: mollusks throw lime needles into each other's bodies, which are usually called love arrows. This allows each of the partners to play the role of both a male and a female. By the way, the time of copulation of snails entirely depends on their biological species and takes a very different time.
Ground snails lay their eggs under the stems of plants or buried in small earthen pits. One clutch can contain from 30 to 40 white or pearl-white eggs. Laying eggs is a rather serious and responsible process for the snail, after completing which it falls asleep. The incubation period for "ripening" eggs lasts up to a month.
How do aquarium snails breed?
Snails in the aquarium reproduce in an equally interesting way. They differ from their terrestrial relatives by the presence of a long respiratory tube that allows them to breathe oxygen without rising to the water surface. Unlike land snails, which are hermaphrodites, their aquatic relatives are heterosexual creatures. It is practically impossible to distinguish a male from a female by external features.
Reproduction in aquarium snails occurs exclusively in the aquatic environment, and they lay eggs in the air - above the water boundary. For example, ampullaries lay their eggs on the walls of the aquarium, since outside the aquarium these snails will simply die. Before laying, the female ampullia examines the surrounding area on the glass of the aquarium for a long time.
As soon as she finds a suitable place, she begins to spawn her eggs, which are glued to the glass. The result is something that looks like a vine. After 3 weeks, cubs hatch from these eggs. As soon as they are born, they fall into the water. The new generation has started!
