The eggs of aquatic and land snails have some differences. The methods of laying and reproduction of these gastropods are also dissimilar. However, the offspring of any species of snails are often prey for insects and fish, since these mollusks are not inclined to protect them.
Instructions
Step 1
Snails can be terrestrial and aquatic. Despite such a large difference in habitat, many of the behavioral factors and type of reproduction are the same. However, there is still a difference in the appearance of eggs and offspring.
Step 2
What do land snail eggs look like?
The genital pore of snails is located in the head region and has the appearance of a bulge. It is a copulatory organ in which both male and female "genitals" are located. Therefore, these gastropods are considered hermaphrodites. However, they still need mating, it occurs only with individuals of their own species. Molluscs breed at any time of the year, but many species of these gastropods mate only once.
Step 3
Within 1-2 weeks, the snail bears eggs, after which it begins to lay them. For this purpose, she digs a small hole 3-10 cm deep. The number of eggs varies greatly depending on the type of mollusk. For example, grape snails are able to lay no more than 40 eggs, and Achatina - from 100 to 300. These gastropods do not guard their offspring, so many insects like to feast on them.
Step 4
The eggs of land snails are rounded and resemble chicken eggs. They are soft to the touch, but elastic, as they are covered with a rather dense shell (shell). Her color is white or yellowish, the size of eggs is 4/5 mm or slightly larger: 5/7 mm (in Achatina). For optimal development, the embryo needs a temperature of at least 22 ° C. The offspring emerges from eggs within a fairly short period of time: from 17 hours to 1 day. In the first time of life, small snails feed on shells or those eggs from which new life has not emerged.
Step 5
What do aquatic snail eggs look like?
Hobbyists-aquarists can personally observe the process of breeding and laying of their pets. The eggs of aquatic snails are called eggs, which can be deposited anywhere in the aquarium. In different species of snails, it can either be above the water and need protection from drying out, or it can look like bunches and attach to its walls or algae.
Step 6
Usually, the eggs of aquarium snails resemble dense mucus, round in size, soft and elastic. As the caviar matures, it hardens, and its color changes from yellowish (the color of baked milk) to green and brown shades. But in representatives of the family Neritidae, the eggs are initially hard, since they have a shell in the form of a capsule, in which about a hundred embryos are placed at once. Initially, this "container" is white and rather soft, but gradually its walls gain strength, and the color changes to yellowish-brown. In freshwater representatives of this population, the capsule size is slightly larger than in those who live in the seas and oceans.
