Amy
Achatina achatina
Posts: 43
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Post by Amy on Jun 6, 2011 19:30:28 GMT
This question has been floating around in my mind for quite sometime now and all i wanted to no is how far dose a snails intelligence strech? I mean, to me the general apperance of the snails makes them look quite thick to me and my all of my snails, especially ruby do have there thick moments from time to time, but they also have, which to me, seem clever moments, like when i give them peas they no they like the inside so will eat a whole in the shell of the pea to get the inside, just wondering how clever they are..
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Jun 6, 2011 21:59:55 GMT
Well, that's a very interesting topic. In one sense snails could be considered thick, I suppose, since they are not capable of reason or logical thought. But in another sense, snails could be considered to be extremely clever because look at how successful they are as a species. They are very well adapted to many different kinds of habitats and have flourished for millions of years before humans arrived on the scene. And they play a very important role in the environment (helping to break down decaying organic matter and making the nutrients available for new life to utilize). If it weren't for the small invertebrates such as snails, higher life like you and me would not be able to exist. So it probably doesn't matter how clever they are individually.
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Amy
Achatina achatina
Posts: 43
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Post by Amy on Jun 7, 2011 14:51:39 GMT
hm, guess your right in some sense, there may be some logic tucked under there snaily shell somwhere but i guess being so well adapted is one of the things they have done so well.
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Post by crossless on Jun 7, 2011 16:39:24 GMT
Atleast they leave hard food rotting until it's soft before they eat it..
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Post by 101100101111 on Jun 7, 2011 18:50:47 GMT
Snails' cousins, octopuses, are by far the most intelligent invertebrates, and much more intelligent than many lower mammals, therefore, I don't think we should discount the theory that snails have some (very limited) intelligence not displayed in other invertebrates. It is also true that they are remarkable survivors as a species, especially considering that they are not very strong, definitely not very fast, and have no claws, jaws or venom, and, with a little strength and thought, their shells are easily broken into by many animals like birds.
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myrtle
Achatina achatina
Posts: 52
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Post by myrtle on Aug 13, 2011 0:01:23 GMT
My Snails are clever, watching me cleaning their tanks, making sure the waters just right for their shower and making sure their tea is just right, cos one likes cucumber, one baby sweetcorn and corgette and the other likes sweetpotato with a sprinkling of fish flakes.......do they ever make me a brew or wash-up, no coz theyre not daft, that's what mums for
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foghog
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 235
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Post by foghog on Aug 13, 2011 0:17:04 GMT
There have been tests done on snails, and as owners I would be surprised if some here did not note that snails have the ability to learn, and change habit to specific conditions and stimulus. there have been stories of snails learning specific feeding techniques and for instance grabbing food with their foot, and even purposely being trained to roll onto their backs for feeding. reactionary decision making, has been observed by actively recognizing a threat in the area, and acting accordingly, by either water snails moving to cover or what have you. the intelligence to recognize a threat and make a decision of avoidance is fairly high level imo, and involves many aspects, such as memory of the threats characteristics, and cognitive aspects of choosing a location or method of avoidance. They obviously have the ability to 'learn' specific foods they prefer, and they are not always the same per species, so it to me leans more to a decision making process rather than a natural affinity due to sense input purely.
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Aug 13, 2011 17:32:25 GMT
I've said many times, I suspect snails are quite a bit smarter than we think they are.
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foghog
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 235
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Post by foghog on Aug 13, 2011 18:58:33 GMT
wow...I just swapped my food out, and put in a small plant of live lettuce...I literally just put the screened panels on with the clamps, looked back into the habitat and 4 of the snails were on the top of the lettuce plant and leaves.....I think they have somehow discovered warp technology for short distances.......slow as a snail my butt....
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myrtle
Achatina achatina
Posts: 52
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Post by myrtle on Aug 14, 2011 1:17:13 GMT
My apple Snails only have to hear the crinkling of the spinach packet & they are at the top of the tank in less than a blink. They use their foot as hands, feet, to carry stuff etc. My Apples started me off wanting a Giant & it was worth the wait. I also have a Lobster who has tried to argue with Bramley & Pippin & he always loses... My boys are like mini tanks & nothing comes between them & their spinach or cucumber.. The boys are the size of tennis balls
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inky
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 260
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Post by inky on Dec 11, 2011 7:45:43 GMT
I've taught Baffbot, my helix aspersa, to carry small sticks and leaves around in his mouth... That's pretty smart... When I place it in front of him, he picks it up, not eating it, and carries it around. It's just so adorable!
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Post by vallery on Dec 11, 2011 19:40:30 GMT
Love to be able to see a little video of that.
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foghog
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 235
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Post by foghog on Dec 11, 2011 20:20:15 GMT
did you train him to play fetch or what? talk about a all day game with a snail.....
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Post by vallery on Dec 11, 2011 21:22:52 GMT
My snails are stubborn, seriously stubborn. Try to move on he's not going anywhere. If I do get him moved he goes right back to where he was in the first place. again and again.
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Post by coyote on Dec 11, 2011 23:30:22 GMT
Snails have their own distinct personalities. I've had friendly snails and timid snails and aloof snails and thick snails and aggressive snails -- all different.
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Post by axoloa on Dec 12, 2011 4:00:41 GMT
Love to be able to see a little video of that. I second that
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saki114
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 327
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Post by saki114 on Dec 29, 2011 14:32:14 GMT
I've taught Baffbot, my helix aspersa, to carry small sticks and leaves around in his mouth... That's pretty smart... When I place it in front of him, he picks it up, not eating it, and carries it around. It's just so adorable! Hows did you do that??? Maybe you could post a video of Baffbot doing that. I would love seeing that!!!
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Post by ariannak on Nov 10, 2013 4:21:42 GMT
Yea...u know, I think they are. I had some apple snails and fish in a tank together and the fish absolutely LOVED cucumber slices as a treat. Id thinly slice them and theyd float at the top of the water and the fish would suck on them and go crazy. Well, soon I started to see apple snails somehow at the bottom of the tank holding on desperatly to peices of cucumer--before the fish would knock it out of their grasp and it would go floating back up. And so, as more time passed I started to see all the apple snails near the top corners of the tank just below the surface...and slices of cucumber would collect in the corners. And the snails would climb onto the slices, float down, and start chomping. I'd consider that pretty clever, learning to wait at the top for yummy floating cucumber slices...
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Post by vallery on Nov 15, 2013 15:48:32 GMT
I have seen at times when there is a piece of cucumber on their food dish and it is covered with snails, one snail will hang upside down from a branch and stick out his long neck and stretch down with his shell and body still sticking up side down to the branch and just fit his mouth in a little space on the cucumber amongst the snails crowded on the cucumber and he will eat that way. I think that is clever.
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Post by greyphoenix on Nov 15, 2013 16:16:42 GMT
Personally, I think animals in general are much smarter than we give them credit for. Recent scientific tests are also beginning to show this. For a long time scientists (and people in general) often thought that unless an animal thought and was developing towards being the way we are, they weren't intelligent. Now we realize that many animals are extremely intelligent and well suited to their environment. I definitely believe snails feel, and I also believe based on the examples here (and others) they are capable of thinking and adapting. They may not write books, attend college, or create world peace, but they play their role in this world with persistence, charm, and yes, even cleverness.
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Post by greyphoenix on Nov 15, 2013 16:18:29 GMT
Wow, I just realized the last several of us are commenting on a really old thread. Oh well, it's a good thread no matter its age, lol...
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Post by malacophile on Nov 15, 2013 22:24:39 GMT
Personally, I think animals in general are much smarter than we give them credit for. Recent scientific tests are also beginning to show this. For a long time scientists (and people in general) often thought that unless an animal thought and was developing towards being the way we are, they weren't intelligent. Now we realize that many animals are extremely intelligent and well suited to their environment. I definitely believe snails feel, and I also believe based on the examples here (and others) they are capable of thinking and adapting. They may not write books, attend college, or create world peace, but they play their role in this world with persistence, charm, and yes, even cleverness. I'm reminded of a quote by Albert Einstein that goes something like, "If you try to teach a fish to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid." People have a habit of measuring intelligence in other creatures in comparison only to their own. What humans as a whole don't realize is that all animals are intelligent in ways that are best suited to their environment and lifestyle.
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Post by greyphoenix on Nov 15, 2013 23:22:01 GMT
I'm reminded of a quote by Albert Einstein that goes something like, "If you try to teach a fish to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid." People have a habit of measuring intelligence in other creatures in comparison only to their own. What humans as a whole don't realize is that all animals are intelligent in ways that are best suited to their environment and lifestyle. I couldn't agree more.
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Cashell
Archachatina puylaerti
Posts: 1,124
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Post by Cashell on Nov 15, 2013 23:57:48 GMT
My snails sometimes go around in circles, rasp themselves and have spent the past 30 years trying to learn simplified Mandarin and still haven't picked up a single word, so therefore they can be officially labelled as um... Stupid? I kid! I kid! They're very observant, hardy creatures that like to interact with one another. I find it funny when I poke certain snails that will pull back both eye stalks and slowly extend one (sometimes two) and watch carefully to make sure there's no more fingers coming to bother them! Snails are said to have very poor vision, so it's interesting how they still work with what they have.
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starry
Achatina fulica
Posts: 10
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Post by starry on Feb 21, 2014 23:03:30 GMT
Course they are..they've been here for millions of years... far ahead of us...and they're cute too
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