How Do Snails (And Other Molluscs) Create Their Shells?

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Snails and other molluscs create shells through a process called biomineralization. Through a shell gland, they secrete an organic matrix of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids that serves as a base for the hard mineral part of the shell. The mineral of the shell is made from calcium carbonate.

Snails come in all shapes, sizes and shells. From the middle-sized garden snail with a pale beige shell to the racy red, yellow and black stripes on the very rare red racer nerite snail, a snail’s shell is no mere body part.

There are snails with shells that look like candy, such as the candy cane snail, and shells that could tell you the time, like that of the clear sundial snail!

In 2010, scientists even found a microscopic, ghostly snail, Zospeum tholussum, with a transparent shell, that haunts the darkness of the Lukinajama-Trojama cave system in Croatia. Considering this snail doesn’t have a common name, I’ll go the distance and christen it the ‘If-Casper-the-friendly-ghost-was-an-introvert-and-decided-to-spend-forever-in-some-caves-in-Croatia-being-slow-and-lazy Snail’. Catchy, right?

snails
(Photo Credit : Pixabay/ Shutterstock)

Ridiculous common names aside, with such dazzling diversity, it’s only natural to ask how snails make their shells… and also, what do they need it for?

Considering that snails can’t talk, we’ll just go ahead and answer that for you.

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