General Description

Body grey-brown. Shell brown with dark brown or black lines and yellow streaks, circular with 4-5 whorls. Shell up to 4 cm across.

Biology

Garden Snails are hermaphrodites but reproduce sexually. They lay clutches of up to 80 eggs at a time and may lay up to six clutches a year under favourable conditions. Garden Snails were introduced into Tasmania to provide food for birds, such as the European thrush and blackbird. They feed on a wide variety of plants, including fruit trees and vegetable crops as well as garden flowers and are considered major pests by many gardeners. Some are caught for the restaurant escargot trade.

Distribution

Europe, Africa, North and South America, New Zealand. Eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Habitat

Among groundcover plants in damp areas.

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