my snail has an extra feeler or something...

butterflylove

fishie fishie fishie
Dec 17, 2004
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maryland
last night i was sitting down starring at my fish tank as usual, when i noticed one of my mystery snails has an extra feeler, or something. it wasnt the 2 top ones, and it was the 2 right around its face. it came out kind of from the side, it was much thicker and much much longer than the other 4. it looked really wierd and kind of looked like an elephants trunk. does anyone know what this body part is on snails, and what is it for??? i was really shocked when i saw it reaching up so high.thanks in advance
amber
 
Mystery snails are in the apple family, and have a snorkel that they use to breathe. The snails regularly go to the surface, pull in air, then go about their business. Perfectly normal. When not in use, they tend to tuck it inside their shell, so it's usually only seen when they are surfacing. In my 55, mine would surface, get a breather, then release from the glass and 'surf' down to the bottom, chomp down on some food, then surface again--over and over. Amusing!
 
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