snails<\/a> breathe varies between types of snails. They all breathe air, but the way the go about taking in air is different. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAs stated above, most snails have a lung to breathe air, but others have gills. Some snails have a lung and gills, giving them more adaptability. There are even aquatic snails that don’t have gills and have to surface to breathe air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may be thinking that this sounds confusing. So, how does a snail breathe? To dive deeper into how each of these processes work, keep reading below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Do Land Snails Breathe?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n All terrestrial snails live by breathing air. While some can also breathe water, this is not as common, and most land snails have only one lung. Snails that breathe by only using a lung are called pulmonate snails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breathing With a Lung<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Snails have a body part called a “mantle” that covers their internal organs as protection. The mantle is similar to skin, but is muscular and it lines the inside of the snail’s shell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Snails use this mantle to expand and compress the muscles of their lung allowing them to breathe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pneumostome<\/h5>\n\n\n\n There is an opening on the right side of the snail’s mantle called the “pneumostome” that can be opened and closed when the snail chooses. While they draw air into their lungs, they can also expel carbon dioxide at will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pneumostome is the opening where snails take in oxygen and rid themselves of carbon dioxide. They do not continually keep the pneumostome open, but strive to keep it closed when they are not actively breathing because it helps their body retain moisture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another interesting thing about the pneumostome is that it is also the opening in which snails expel food waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breathing With Gills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n There are some snails, the Prosobranchia<\/em> snails, that can breathe with gills as well as lungs. These snails have comb gills that allow the snail to gather oxygen from the water around them. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is an inadequate way of receiving air, so although these snails can survive underwater for a time, they cannot stay there forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ancient Breathing <\/h4>\n\n\n\n In the past, there were snails that would breathe dry air through their pallial cavity wall, otherwise known as their mantle. There was a system of blood vessels within their mantle that acquired oxygen through the skin when the snail was submerged in water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because breathing through the mantle itself leaves snails at risk of losing vital water in their body through evaporation, this method has been mostly reduced or eliminated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, land snails gather air through the pneumostome which prevents their body from losing water. <\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHow Do Snails Breathe Underwater?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Can snails breathe underwater? Is it even possible? If you’ve ever seen a snail in an aquarium or in the ocean, then you know the answer is yes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Aquatic snails have ctenidium, or comb gills, found on their pallial cavity that allows them to breathe the surrounding water. Feather-like protrusions from the gills allow the snail to absorb oxygen from the water and diffuse carbon dioxide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Older species of these snails still have two comb gills on their bodies, but most snails today only have one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some aquatic snails do not have full gills, but instead have reduced gills that require the wall of the mantle cavity to get oxygen from the surrounding water. While these snails do still have reduced gills, they rely largely on their lung to survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lungs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n These snails are pulmonate snails, the same as the land snails above. Because they rely on dry air to survive, they need to regularly surface to breathe air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of these snails utilize water tension to crawl across the underside of the surface of the water. This allows them to eat algae while breathing air outside of the water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Do Mystery Snails Breathe?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Mystery snails are a type of snail that has both gills and a lung. While they primarily live and breathe in water, they are able to explore on land for a time. They have an organ called a siphon that they stick above the surface of the water to breathe air while they are submerged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, they cannot survive on land for long and will dry up in a few hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watch this video: How Do Snails Breathe? Land And Aquatic Snails<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n