Terrestrial lovers,

Since finding two large live Mesodon normalis (see http://www.jaxshells.org/boonex.htm), my significant other has been keeping them in a terrarium. They've gotten lettuce, carrot, and fig for diet, plus some limestone and crushed oyster shell.

This morning, I witnessed one of the snails (dubbed Eli) doubling back on him/herself and chewing on the area just behind its outer lip (and possibly a bit on the lip itself). This occurred for at least 10 seconds twice, accompanied by the light rasping sound that snails or slugs make which sometimes gets amplified enough to hear.

Does anyone have knowledge of this behavior? Is this considered autophagy? [Or, since it's chewing on its exoskeleton, is this analogous to a human chewing on his/her own fingernails?] I didn't see any obvious marks on the shell. The snail has access to calcium. In fact, it was resting on a stone with barnacles on it.

The snail seems healthy and right afterward stretched out fully to start chewing on fresh lettuce.

David Kirsh
Durham, NC

"When you're chewing on life's gristle, DON'T grumble. Give a whistle!" --from Life of Brian

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