Snails are a species that have both female and male reproductive organs. Therefore, the question arises of how snails reproduce. It should be noted that when they reach the time of maturation, then their sexual organs become female.
These animals breed no more than once a year. When the time comes for mating, it is very noticeable in their behavior. The snail crawls slowly and makes frequent stops. Sometimes it can freeze and stay in place for a long time. As soon as the second snail approaches, they start playing.
They look after each other, swaying from side to side. Then they begin to stretch up and touch each other with the soles. Snails are tightly pressed against each other and can lie in an embrace for up to half an hour. Their play can last up to two hours and eventually leads to the mating process. At this moment, they throw lime needles called love arrows into each other's body.
Mating, thus, each of them acts as a male and female. Different times can take the process of copulation depending on the type of snail. Snail eggs are laid in holes in the ground or underplant stems. They are pearl white or white in color. One of the snails can lay 30-40 eggs at a time. After laying them out, the snail falls asleep. The incubation period lasts 3-4 weeks.
There are aquarium snails and, of course, it is interesting to know how snails breed in an aquarium. They differ from other species in having a long breathing tube. Thanks to it, snails can breathe oxygen without rising to the surface of the water. They have different genders. It can be very difficult to distinguish by external signs which of them is male and which is female. After mating, the female looks for a place where she will lay her eggs. You can read about how snails living in an aquarium breed in special literature.
Snails try to lay their eggs on the walls of the aquarium. At this point, you need to watch them so that they do not fall out of it. Domestic snails outside the aquarium may die. How do snails reproduce at this moment? They stick eggs after eggs on the walls of the aquarium, which as a result take on the appearance of a bunch of grapes. After three weeks, the cubs begin to hatch from the eggs. Then they fall into the aquarium.
It would be useful to say about the melania living in aquariums, and how these snails reproduce. They are considered a good indicator of the condition of the water in the aquarium. They can be used to determine its contamination, as snails begin to crawl out of dirty water. They are viviparous: they lay eggs, from which live cubs are immediately born. These domestic snails are unpretentious. It is enough to change the sand once a week, feed the snailsthree times a week, and once every two weeks to clean the aquarium.
Even the busiest owner will not let such snails die. When cold, they hibernate. The most popular species of domestic snails are Achatina. They came to us from Africa. In our conditions, they can only live in aquariums. Scientists have recently discovered that this species has a long-term memory.
