Eenie is a snail and he has a sparkly slug cousin. Snails and slugs are both called gastropods, originating from the Greek words gastros (stomach) and podos (foot). There are some 60,000 types of snails and slugs! They can live on land and in water. If you have seen a snail in an aquarium eating as it moves gradually along the glass, you can see why “stomach foot” may be a fitting name! Most Gastropods live in water. Snails and slugs are the main gastropods that can be found ashore as most live in water.

Snail is a common name used to describe all gastropod mollusks that possesses coiled shells especially when they are in the adult stage. Generally this term – snail— include sea snails, land snails as well as freshwater snails. Slugs and snails are mollusks, a group  that includes shellfish, octopus it  squid. There are over 60,000 types of snails and slugs. Those living in the ocean start life as hatchlings skimming about as tiny fish. Land and freshwater slugs and snails normally incubate from eggs.

Both snails and slugs are generally nocturnal but they will venture out on dim or darker days. They need the damp and they try to find clammy conditions . The mucous – slimy fluid – snails and slugs create enables them to be the main mollusks ready to live ashore. The mucous lets them hold dampness in their bodies as they traverse dry land. It also protects them on the off chance that they run over a sharp object! Predators or enemies do not like the mucous either as it obstructs their mouth if they try to attack or eat them .

Many people cannot really tell the difference between slugs and snails Some people even used the names interchangeably. In fact, snail and slugs are not the same creatures; they are both two distinct creatures. Whereas it is true that snails and slugs may seem alike in many ways, they are actually not the same. Visibly, of course, the main distinction amongst snails and slugs is that snails have shells. A snail’s shell resembles a home it carries on its back. Slugs have no shell.

As a result of their rather little size and the way they move, snails and slugs are known everywhere to move moderately and slither along. Their pace is a special characteristic: indeed if you move or work slowly you may be told you are  moving “at a snail’s pace”:! Similarly, compared with email, the standard mail through the post can take days and may be referred to as “snail mail”!​

The speed of a snail is about one millimeter per second, whereas the movement rate of a slug can be much faster than the rate of a snail.  Nevertheless, some snail species are quicker than some slug species. On the other hand,  a few snails do not move at all — they remain on the ocean bed and feed on any microscopic fish that may float in their direction. Their movement is through a special pushing method along their bodies: they can find their way safely using their tentacles throughout their lives. The life of a snail is generally shorter than the life of a slug: it is usually between 2-3 years whereas a slug may live up to 6 years, especially the wild ones.
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The main contrast between the slug and the snail is the snail’s obvious shell. This is a hard structure produced from calcium carbonate: it protects their delicate body and internal organs. Among these organs is their lung since land snails breathe in oxygen from the air. This shell is big enough for the snail to totally withdraw into for protection. Slugs do not have this protection but they do have an internal minimal shell to store calcium.

Both the snail and slug need moisture as otherwise their delicate tissues may dry up. Therefore generally only about 5% of the slug population  are seen above the ground: the rest live in the soil and in clammy conditions. Since they have no shell, the slug can also move and conceal itself in places with almost no space, such as free bark on trees or underneath stone sections and wooden sheets. This evidently gives it an incredible ecological and survival advantage and they can grow up to about 10 inches in size!

Through Eenie, his adventures and his friends we will find out more about their very special lives and powers in the magical World of Eenie.