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Q: Snail ennemies ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Snail ennemies
Category: Science
Asked by: anthe-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 01 Jul 2003 03:20 PDT
Expires: 31 Jul 2003 03:20 PDT
Question ID: 223808
Which birds and animals  eat or kill snails?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Snail ennemies
Answered By: juggler-ga on 01 Jul 2003 03:38 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hello.

"Predators of the Snail: Many animals eat snails, including birds,
fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, beetles (and other insects), and
people."
source: enchantedlearning.com
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/mollusk/gastropod/Snailprintout.shtml

"Who are snails' enemies?
Snails are a very important part of the food chain. Snails have many
natural enemies. Birds, hedgehogs, toads and trout all love to eat
snails. Ground beetles, snakes, toads, turtles, and birds including
chickens, ducks and geese are enemies of the snail as well. We can eat
snails, too."
source: "Questions and Answers about Snails," hosted by
somers.k12.ny.us
http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/SIS/MAIN/sis/research/gr.3research/snails/snailquestions.html#enemy

A web page called "Terrestrial snails' enemies" has a pretty good
summary on this subject:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/Mollusks/Schnecken/feinde.html

Here are some excerpts:

"Most predatory insects also eat snails, if they are capable to do
so...
Among beetles (Coleoptera) there are some predatory groups, that are
mostly capable of killing a snail. Carabids (Carabidae) as well as
larva as as adult kill snails, fireflies (Lampyridae) especially as
larvae.
Carabids and firefly larvae (glowworms) attack larger snails by the
shell aperture. Smaller ones are attacked by biting open the shell in
a characteristic way following the whorls. Afterwards the animal is
eaten out of the shell...

Many arachnids (spiders and their relatives) kill snails. Among the
harvestmen (Opiliones) especially the suborder Palpatores mostly feeds
on snails...

...there are numerous predatory terrestrial snails, such as the glossy
snails  (Zonitidae), semi-slugs (Testacellidae and Daudebardiidae), as
well as several other species, that kill other snails...

..Most amphibians do not detest snails. As well frog as toads make up
a part of their menu with them...

Birds...
The thrush has a specialized technique to destroy the snails' shells.
It cracks them open on a special stone that is then surrounded by many
pieces of snails' shells. Such stones then are called thush anvils.
Interesting to the garden friend are specially ducks than catch and
eat snails, as well as chicken. Other snail-eating birds are ravens,
doves and gulls. Storks and other birds living by the waterside also
often like to eat snails...

Mammals...
Besides birds there are several other common European animals that at
least partially feed on snails. Many mammals eats snails, even
carnivores such as the red fox, especially if there is nothing else to
eat. Insect eaters, such as the hedgehog, moles and shrews, among
other, eat snails. Therefore it can be important for an ecologically
feasible garden to offer such animals a space to live in. There are
also some rodents, such as mice and squirrels, that eat snails... 
Humans..."
source: "Terrestrial snails' enemies", hosted by lycos.co.uk
http://members.lycos.co.uk/Mollusks/Schnecken/feinde.html

search strategy:
"snails enemies"
"animals eat snails"

I hope this helps.
anthe-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
Thank you.

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