Snails From Devon and Somerset.

[thegreatloofa]

Hello all, I came back from a wonderful sunny holiday to a rainy Brighouse last night at 10pm. Here are some pictures of the snails I found down there.


These are some tiny snails I found eating some succulent (sp?) right on the cliffs around Soar Mill Cove in south Devon. One of the snails pictured is just an empty shell, see if you can guess with one.


These are the Cornu Asperum I found. I wasn't going to collect any of this snail at first because I have enough at home, but these had much lighter patterning than my type so I couldn't resist them. I found these in the foliage next to the train line in Watchet with loads of broken snail shells, some very large in size.


These are a type of cepaea, but I don't know which type. They were found on the cliff face on Heliwell (is that the name?) beach, nr. Watchet, which is a fossil beach (I found 2 devil's toenails btw.)


These are also a type of cepaea. They were found in the same place. One of these is very special, but is not photographed here as I have to be very careful with him. he'll be pictured in a later post.


Another cepaea (although not the special one mentioned above). He is called Frederick and is either a hortensis or a sun bleached nemoralis (I think the latter). Was found in the grass at the side of a country road near Soar.


This is of another aspersum (I think). He was the first snail I found down there and is the whitest aspersum I've ever seen. Was found the with the small pointy snails.



These are of a snail which look like the Pseudotachea Splendida that Kevin got. The smaller two were found on the same cliff face as the cepaea and the larger two were found on the railway sidings with the aspersum.

There! that took a while, I would be thankful if people could identify some of the snails. Apologies for the picture quality but you all should know what my pics are like by now! ;D

P.S. Are there no snails in Dartmoor? I didn't see any.

[Kevin]

The last snails do look a bit like the unpatterned splendida I have, they're shells have less colour, but the shape looks right...Im sure the first pic isnt Pomatia elegans like I had suggested, Im sure someone could identify them all

heres one of the splendida pics to compare

[Deleted]

yes someone can identify them all;

the first is cochlicella acuta

the cepaea are all hortensis. i can tell by the shell shape and the lip colour and the shell colour, although you CAN get nemoralis in yellow and yellow striped aswell, but they have a dark lip, and are bigger and have a slightly different shape.

the white ones...well they could be monacha cantiana, i think thats what they're most likely to be

kind regards

mike

[thegreatloofa]

Cheers Mike!

Also, on the way down to Soar Mill Cove you cross over a bridge, the last time I did it I saw the largest slug I've ever seen. It was black (all over I think) and about and inch, mebbe an inch and a half wide and about four to six inch long (it definitely wasn't fully stretched out). It looked a bit like an Arion type slug but I don't really know. There was no way I could have caught it as I was on some leaves that overhang the stream the bridge goes across and was well out of reach, otherwise you'd be seeing piccys of it right now. How big do native slugs grow? I know leopard slugs grow big but I know what they look like and this wasn't one of them.
Any ideas?

[thegreatloofa]

Here are two pics of the Monacha Cantiana just to make sure they are what they are (if you know what I mean...).




Hope this helps!

[Kevin]

thegreatloofa said:

Cheers Mike!

Also, on the way down to Soar Mill Cove you cross over a bridge, the last time I did it I saw the largest slug I've ever seen. It was black (all over I think) and about and inch, mebbe an inch and a half wide and about four to six inch long (it definitely wasn't fully stretched out). It looked a bit like an Arion type slug but I don't really know. There was no way I could have caught it as I was on some leaves that overhang the stream the bridge goes across and was well out of reach, otherwise you'd be seeing piccys of it right now. How big do native slugs grow? I know leopard slugs grow big but I know what they look like and this wasn't one of them.
Any ideas?

The largest slug in the world, Limax cinereoniger, is native to the UK, they're black, with a faint cream stripe
Heres a picture of mine...



I think Arion species can be black (Arion ater?) I have Arion rufus about 8 inches long when fully extended, so they can get pretty big as well

[thegreatloofa]

Here are some pics of my special cepaea:







As you can see, he has a hole in his shell and has retracted far enough back to use it as an opening. He doesn't seem to be hindered in anyway because of this but I've seen him rasping his shell around the new opening a lot, should I carefully break off the shell as far as the new opening or should I leave him to rasp it away on his own?
Suggestions welcome.

*UPDATE*
Changed the pics to better ones.
I think he looks rather comical...

[natrat84]

Omg WOW Clever snailie That is pretty amazing isn't it

[Val]

Ah yes that's a lot clearer now!! That snail is just amazing, personally I would just leave him to rasp away what he wants to, he seems to be doing pretty well left to his own devices.

Val

[sezzy5889]

yeah i agree

[thegreatloofa]

The only problem I've seen him have is that he can't stick himself to the sides or roof of the tub he is in, after he retracts in he just falls off...

[anjieburdett]

Awwww thats soo cute. Amazing really - how these little things surive injuries.

[natrat84]

Aww bless him falling off lol. No ceramic pots for this little guy then lol.

[thegreatloofa]

Re: The snail with the hole in his shell.

He has now patched it up and is using the normal opening to his shell to move around, he did that quick didn't he? ;D

[Deleted]

yeyyyy thats great news wow

[thegreatloofa]

Bad news, one of the Monacha Cantiana has died. It was the largest one as well. They are not very active at the best of times so I'm thinking the setup in the tub isn't right for them. they are in with the C. Aspersum and C. Hortensis which are doing fine. They have 1.5" of soil with some small succulent plants growing in (I found them in Devon with some of the snails) which they dont eat. Any suggestions of what is more suited to this snail?

[Leah]

What do they look like? I'm in Devon but I never see any of the snails you talk bout cept C. Aspersum and C. Hortensis . Then again I don't know what I'm looking for.

[natrat84]

Can't help, just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear it died

[thegreatloofa]

I only have the pics from the previous page:

[Leah]

oooo where did you find them? I've never seen them before!

[thegreatloofa]

They weren't found in Devon, but in Watchet, Somerset. The two smaller ones were from a cliff face, and the two larger ones were from the side of the railway line.

[copigeon]

A wild guess but are they similar? Semi transparent shells, approx 1cm 1.2cm across?

If so, cool, arboreal. Found on big doc leaves, sides of houses, undersides of rubarb leaves, and bramble.

[Deleted]

hmmm...i think helix and cepaea are the only british snails i would recommend to keep as pets, theyre are easiest to care for and most active.

[thegreatloofa]

lotsofsnails said:

hmmm...i think helix and cepaea are the only british snails i would recommend to keep as pets, theyre are easiest to care for and most active.

Well I can't really release them outside now, as I'm nowhere near where I got them from. I may try plant some burdock leaves though...