Laura Hamilton Waxman - Lets Look at Snails

Let's Look at
Snails

Laura Hamilton Waxman

Copyright 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing
Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Lerner Publications Company
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Waxman, Laura Hamilton.
Lets look at snails. / by Laura Hamilton Waxman.
p. cm. (Lightning bolt booksTM Animal close-ups)
Includes index.
ISBN 9780822578994 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)
1. SnailsJuvenile literature. I. Title.
QL430.4.W39 2010
594.3dc22 2007029226
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 BP 15 14 13 12 11 10

Contents

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Snails

Have Shells

Something is hiding in this shell.
Can you guess what it is?
Surprise! This is a snail.

This snail moves
slowly along a leaf.

Snails have soft, slimy bodies.
On their backs are hard shells.

Many snails have
round spiral shells.
Some snails have
shells that are
long and
pointy.

This sea snail has a spiky
shell. Sea snails live in the
salty ocean. Where else do
snails live?

Some sea snails shells
are very colorful.

Freshwater snails live in
ponds, rivers, and streams.
Freshwater is not salty.

These snails live
in freshwater.

Land snails live in forests,
trees, and gardens. Some live
on mountains or in deserts.

Snails

Make Slime

This land snail is leaving
behind a slimy trail. The trail
is made of mucus.

A tiny sand
snail creeps
across a leaf.

The mucus trail helps
the snail move.

The snail slides over it easily.

This body part
looks like a
belly. But it
is the foot of
a snail.

A snail has one
flat foot that
helps it move.

At the front of the foot is the
head. Most land snails have
four tentacles on their heads.

Look closely at the ends of
the two long tentacles. Do
you see two black dots?
These are the snails eyes.

A snail can only see dark
and light. It uses its two
shorter tentacles to feel
where it is going.

These snails cannot see each
other well. They will use their
tentacles to find their way.

Most land snails eat
plants. But some
snails eat animals.

This is the
snails mouth

Snails

Stay Safe

Snails look for food in damp,
dark places. They try to stay
out of dry, sunny places.
Do you know why?

A snail will die if its body
gets too dry. It can go inside
its shell to stay cool and moist.

These sea snails stay
safe inside their shells.

This garden snail is
ready to hibernate

Some land snails hibernate in
the cold winter months. The
snails go into a deep sleep.
Mucus seals their shells shut.

No! They are hiding
from a predator.

Predators are animals that hunt
and eat other animals. Many
predators like to eat snails.

Hedgehogs
eat snails.

Snails

Lay Eggs

This snail is laying eggs in a
hole in the ground. Snails hide
their eggs from predators.