Snails have shells the moment they're born, but it's kind of hard to tell. In fact, it's hard to even see a baby snail. Some are nearly microscopic, such as Angustopila psammion, whose adult-sized ...

Snails can be objects of fascination for kids playing outside. Lucky for the snails, they have their hard shells to protect them from children and predators alike. But are they born with that natural ...

The snail’s shell diameter averages about 22 to 30 millimeters (.87 to 1.18 inches). Each snail’s shell has a unique combination of stripes and colors, so no two are exactly alike. These snails eat ...

A snail's shell that protects it from attacks underwater could provide clues for designing improved body armor to guard human soldiers, a new study suggests. The research involved an unusual sea snail ...

Deep within the Kairei Indian hydrothermal vent field, two-and-one-half miles below the central Indian Ocean, scientists have discovered a gastropod mollusk, whose armor could improve load-bearing and ...

A mollusk discovered just a decade ago called the scaly-foot gastropod doesn’t sound like the toughest of creatures. But researchers have found that its armor could help engineers improve load-bearing ...

Bold snails are built to be tough. A close look at bold snails’ shells reveals that they are rounder, thicker and more bite-resistant than shy snails’ shells. This finding, published online April 22 ...

Symmetry is a feature of many plants, animals and even some molecules — like water. But that’s not the case with snails and their coiled shells. They are chiral — asymmetrical in such a way that they ...

Faced with an incoming predator, most snails don't really have a lot of options other than to retreat into their shells. But scientists have discovered that members of a certain species won't take ...