The Roman Snail

Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758

Systematics:

Photo: Robert Nordsieck.

Gastropoda (Snails)
Eupulmonata (Pulmonate Snails)
Stylommatophora (Terrestrial Pulmonate Snails)
Helicidae (Helicid Snails)
Helix
Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758

MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758.
Identification of the Roman Snail and its relatives by shell characters.

Introduction

With about 10 cm body length and up to 5 cm shell diameter, the Roman snail is the largest Central European terrestrial snail. Together with other well known domestic snails, such as the grove snail (Cepaea nemoralis) and the copse snail (Arianta arbustorum), the Roman snail belongs to the helicid snails (Helicidae). Roman snails are usually mainly active in the evening to forage for food. In spite of its name in many languages, such as German ("Weinbergschnecke" - vineyard snail), the Roman snail is not only encountered in vineyards, but is an inhabitat of open hedges and bushes, and it also appears in settlements and gardens. Since it is rare in some places, the Roman snail does not become a garden pest, such as the large European round-back slugs (Arionidae), but Roman snail can consume a lot of food. Roman snails are exclusive herbivores, that specially like to feed on salad and other fresh green food, but also do not refrain from feeding on wilted greens. ( More about feeding and nutrition).

Morphology ( More about morphology).

The cumbersome progress of a Roman snail on a way through
the undergrowth reveals the underside of the foot sole. [RN]

Because of its size, the Roman snail is often used in school and studies. Observing a Roman snail's body, it becomes obvious that this is a terrestrial pulmonate snail: Its body can clearly be divided into the soft body and the hard shell. The soft body consists of foot and head outside the shell, as well as the visceral sac inside the shell. While to foot is used for locomotion (crawling and burrowing), at the snail's head there are four tentacles. Of those, the longer ones each carry one eye. The visceral sac is a sck-like body-part that houses most of the internal organs. It is covered in its entirety by a layer of skin tissue called the mantle. The visceral sac and the internal organs inside are protected by the thick-walled calcareous shell. The shell mouth or aperture is closed of by a thick fold of mantle tissue. An opening leads into the mantle cavity behind, in which a web of blood vessels serves as a lung for the snail's respiration.

Hibernation ( More about hibernation).

The courtship of the Roman snail. [RN]

Roman snails hibernate by closing their shell aperture with a calcareous lid and hiding in an earth hole they burrowed themselves. During hibernation most physiological functions of the snail are greatly reduced and after waking from hibernation the snail is severely dehydrated and starved.

Reproduction ( More about reproduction).

Roman snails are hermaphrodites. Their copulation is preceded by an extended courtship phase, during which the partners may stab each other with a so-called love dart. The eggs are about 2 mm in size and are laid in an earth hole burrowed by the snail in early summer.

The juvenile snails hatched after about a month possess a small translucent shell and, at once, crawl around to forage for food. Only a small percentage of the juveniles make it to adulthood, which usually is reached after the second hibernation. Those few snails, hwever, may reach an old age. Measurements in Bavaria have proved that Roman snails can at least grow to become 20 years of age. There are single cases of Roman snails several decades old.

Economy ( More about economy).

Allotments in a snail farm in Elgg (Switzerland). [RN]

The tasty Roman snail, called "Escargots de Bourgogne" in French have been collected and consumed since prehistoric time. However, only because of collection from the wild over the amount needed for personal consumption and for trade, Roman snails have become exceedingly rare in Germany and neighbouring countries.

The history of snail cultivation.

In nature, therefore, many Roman snail species are protected by law and may not be collected anymore. Especially the Roman snail Helix pomatia and the related brown garden snail (Cornu aspersum) are cultivated in snail farms (Hélicicultures). Apart from France, especially Germany, Switzerland and Austria have become a centre for ecological and economical snail farming in recent time.

Relatives ( More about relatives of the Roman snail).

The closest relatives of the Roman snail are the helicid snails (Helicidae). In this very large snail family, there are the diverse and colourful banded snails (Cepaea), as well as the copse snail (Arianta arbustorum) and the lapidary snail (Helicigona lapicida) with its uncommon lenticular shell.

There are, however, also very many helicid snail species in the Mediterranean region. Among the best known Mediterranean helicid species, there are, for example, the sandhill snail (Theba pisana) and the chocolate banded snail (Eobania vermiculata), as well as mainly Iberian snail species, such as the milk snails (Otala lactea). Across the southern Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor, there are for example the Lycian rock snails (e.g. Codringtonia lycia), and on the Iberian Peninsula there are also the Iberian snails (e.g. Iberus gualterianus).