The snails They are mollusks of the class Gastropoda. These animals have a single spiral-shaped shell where the mollusk lives. They have a soft body made up of a head, foot and visceral mass and they crawl to move. When they feel threatened or due to adverse environmental factors, they retract their foot and head.
You’ve probably heard this popular saying: «When it rains and it’s sunny, the snail goes out for a walk». After a storm, you will have seen the road full of them. And no, it is not a coincidence. Science explains why snails always come out when it rains.
The reason why snails come out when it rains
The snails They come out of their shells when it rains because they need a high degree of humidity to carry out important physiological activities such as feeding.
These mollusks They move slowly across different surfaces thanks to the mucus they generate. This makes them slide more easily. According to reports from Alcora Environmental Healthit is more common for snails to come out at night to feed because that is when humidity is higher.
«Humidity allows them to move more quickly and reach the plant, but many times when daylight and dryness arrive, the snails do not have time to return to their hiding place among the rocks and soil,” they say.
As happens at night, humidity increases with rain. That’s when the snails They take the opportunity to go out and feed. These mollusks secrete a dry layer with which they seal the opening of the shell so as not to lose moisture. “This explains why they remain attached to the plants waiting for another period of rain to arrive to move,” they clarify.
Snails are usually located in the highest parts of plants because it is the area where the air circulates best and they avoid burning themselves on the ground.
Snails don’t come out while it’s raining
It should be noted that the snails come out when it has stopped raining. They do not go out while it is raining because the drops can hurt them if they fall with too much force, just like hail.
They also cannot risk going through large puddles or flooding because there is a risk of drowning. If it has stopped raining, you may find yourself snails that go in search of food. The humidity allows them to move better with the mucus they release.
