16 June 2018

other snails

My daughter kept a snail bowl, with hornwort, for a while. Then she moved it to a different location in her room, where it didn't get enough light, and the plants died. The gastropods in there were originally malaysian trumpet snails I gave her. Must have once given her a pond snail or two, because she gave me back the bowl a week ago and I found one in there. I dropped it in Perry's tank. He immediately went to bite it. I don't think he actually ate it because later I found soft remains that had to be removed. I wish he would eat the trumpet snails in his tank but he only manages that if I crush them for him.
Anyway, there was a huge shell in the bowl. A freshwater snail she found in a creek nearby and brought home from a walk one day. It looked like an apple snail or mystery snail to me, and sure enough, that's probably what it is. I live close to the Potomac River, so not surprised.
Its operculum alone was huge! compared to snails I've kept-
All the shells in the bowl were empty at this point- among the MTS, pond/bladder snails and a few ramshorn, I found these tiny conical, spiraled shells. Are they young mystery snails? did the large one lay a clutch of eggs before it died (months and months ago, the large empty shell was in that bowl a long time). Since the plants were gone, I'm afraid the young snails must have fed on the dead adult.
I have it sitting on the windowsill now.

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