Snails are fascinating creatures, and their anatomy is a mystery to many. How do they get their shells? What is the physical structure of a snail's shell? These are some questions that scientists are still trying to answer. Various blogs like Snail World are the best sources to learn more about snail structure, facts, and feeding habits.
The shell of a snail is made up of two parts: the body and the mantle. The body is made up of a hard outer layer and a softer inner layer. The mantle is a thin sheet that covers the body and is attached to the shell by an elastic band. When the snail wants to release its eggs, it sheds its mantle.
The shell has four parts: the aperture, the columella (the thin, straight edge at the front), the umbilicus (the hole at the back where the egg comes out), and the peristome (the lip around the opening). The aperture is where you see the snail's face when it's eating or drinking.
The columella is where you see the ridge that goes around the edge of the shell. The umbilicus is where you see the red spot on a male snail's shell. The peristome is where you see Snail 1 coming out of Snail 2's anus in Monty Python a nd the Holy Grail.
The snail's shell is made of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). You can make a shell out of anything that has calcium in it, but the snail uses limestone as its main ingredient. This rock is made of white (CaCO 3 ) and black (MgCO 3 ) minerals. The snail eats the limestone so it can grow. It can also break down the limestone to get rid of excess calcium.
At last, Snails are important in the environment because they help to fertilize soil and distribute nutrients throughout the ecosystem.