Getting to know land snails and slugs
Many of us are familiar with garden snails (Cornu aspersum) munching their way through our backyards. Most of the snails and slugs we see in gardens and farms have been introduced from overseas.
In native bushland, there’s a fascinating, secret world of native snails and slugs, like the fluorescent pink Kaputar slugs, red-triangle slugs (Triboniophorus graeffei) and Tropical Beehive Snails (Coneuplecta calculosa). Across Australia, thousands of different species of native land snails and slugs are working hard to break down organic matter and keep ecosystems healthy.
Help us learn more about threatened snails and slugs
If you’re visiting Mount Kaputar National Park in northern NSW after rain, join the search for the giant pink Kaputar slugs. Travelling to Norfolk Island? Keep your eyes peeled for the tiny Campbell’s keeled glass-snail, which is coming back from the brink of extinction. If you’re around forests in north-western Sydney and the lower Blue Mountains in NSW, look out for the Dural land snails (Pommerhelix duralensis).
Snail and Slug Gallery
Royal Semi-Slug
Helicarion mastersi
Dural Land Snail
Pommerhelix duralensis
Red-Triangle-Slug
Triboniophorus graeffei
Join the Bug Hunt for land snails and slugs
By taking photos of snails and slugs and uploading them into iNaturalist, you can help grow our knowledge about where they live, what habitat they like and what they feed on. You might even help discover a new species, or prevent potentially invasive species like the giant African snail from becoming established and damaging Australia’s unique ecosystems.
In iNaturalist, go to projects, search for ‘Bug Hunt Australia’ and join.
Tips for spotting and photographing snails and slugs
Snails and slugs love moisture, so the best time to find them is at night after rain.
When taking photos for iNaturalist, remember:
- Have your GPS location turned on.
- Take lots of photos from different angles. Photographing the tentacles on the head can help too. If you can, for snails get a clear shot of the shell.
- Something to give a sense of scale helps – a ruler is great, or even just your finger or hand photographed next to the slug or snail.
- Upload your shots photos directly through the iNaturalist app, or through your computer at www.inaturalist.org. The app AI may suggest a specific species, but if you’re not confident on the species identification (some species can look quite similar), just select ’snail’ or ‘slug’. Experts in the iNaturalist community can then suggest a more specific identification for you.
- Adding a photo or some notes about the type of environment can help build knowledge about what kind of habitat they like.
Backyard snails and slugs
The most commonly observed snail in gardens across Australia is the introduced garden snail (Cornu aspersum). It’s widespread distribution highlights how important it is to keep snails and slugs from overseas out of Australia.
To find out what land snails and slugs are being observed near you, go to www.inaturalist.org/observations and search for ‘Common Land Snails and Slugs’ in your location.