Examples of animals that eat snails include badgers, blackbirds, tortoises, crows, and foxes.
Snails are a delicacy that has been eaten for centuries.
It is not surprising then that many animals have developed a taste for snails.
They have no natural predators, can travel up to 25 meters per day, and are edible.
Snails are also the perfect food for some animals that don’t normally eat meat.
Examples of animals that eat snails
Examples of animals that eat snails
Scientific nameMeles melesType of animalMammalRangeNorth American Great Plains regionDietOmnivore
Badgers eat snails.
Snails are mollusks, which means they have soft bodies and no bones.
They also produce slime to avoid predators like badgers.
Badgers dig holes in the ground called settlements for their families of up to 13 members.
The female gives birth there each spring, usually four or five pups at a time.
Badgers are omnivorous, which means they eat both meat and plants.
They mostly eat insects, earthworms, fruits, and vegetables, but they also eat small mammals like rabbits and birds.
Snails make up a very small part of their diet.
Scientific nameTurdus merulaType of animalBirdRangeEurope, North Africa, India and South ChinaDietOmnivore
Blackbirds are destructive of snails.
Some examples include the blackbird, red-winged blackbird, and song thrush, which are known to eat or prey on land molluscs, especially slugs.
Snail shells are crushed between their strong beaks and then the soft body is removed.
Birds often hunt for snails by probing the ground with their bills until they locate a snail hiding under leaves or on the ground.
Scientific NameAnguis fragilisType of AnimalAnnelidsRangeWestern EuropeDietCarnivore
Blind worms are some of the animals that eat snails.
Snails provide these animals with a great source of protein and minerals.
Blind worms, in particular, consume a large number of snails, helping to keep snail populations in check.
By eating snails, these animals help maintain balance within their ecosystems.
4. Box Turtle
Scientific name Terrapene Type of animal Reptile Range United States Diet Omnivore
The box turtle is a terrestrial creature that feeds mainly on snails and other small invertebrates.
They have a hard shell that helps protect them from predators, and they can live up to 100 years.
Box turtles are found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
Scientific NameChilopodaAnimal TypeChilopodaWorldRangeDietCarnivore
Centipedes are carnivores that eat other animals to survive.
These creatures have a long body, usually up to 12 inches, that has many segments, and they move very quickly using one pair of legs for each segment.
The head is equipped with powerful fangs that inject venom into the prey’s body, causing paralysis and death within minutes (due to their highly acidic digestive systems).
Centipedes generally eat insects, but have also been known to feed on earthworms, lizards, and other small animals.
Scientific NameCorvusType of AnimalBirdWorldRangeDietOmnivore
Ravens, for example, are very good at spotting snails.
In the rainforest there is a bird called Bananaquit that eats insects and fruits, but also loves to eat land snails.
They usually find their prey by pecking around leaf litter on the forest floor.
Scientific Name Lampyridae Animal Type Insect World Range Diet Omnivore
Fireflies eat snails, which is good because they help control the snail population.
Scientific nameVulpesType of animalMammalWorldRangeDietOmnivore
Fox eats snails and other invertebrates.
Scientific nameAnuraType of animalReptileWorldRangeDietCarnivore
Frogs are known to be one of the most common snail-eating animals.
They can also use their sticky tongues for other things, like catching flies or even picking snail shells off a plant.
ground beetles
ground beetles
Scientific NameCharidaeAnimal TypeInsectWorldRangeDietOmnivore
Ground beetles are predators that eat snails and other small invertebrates.
They are often found near water where they can easily catch their prey.
Ground beetles come in many different colors, but most are black or brown.
These insects have a hard exoskeleton that helps protect them from predators.
Ground beetles are beneficial to gardeners because they help keep other pests in check.
Scientific Name HarriersType of AnimalArachnidWorld RankDietCarnivore
Reapers are not true spiders, but they are arachnids.
They have eight legs like a spider, but their body is different.
Foragers eat mainly snails and insects.
Scientific nameErinaceinaeType of animalMammalRangeEurope, Asia, Africa and New ZealandDietOmnivore
Hedgehogs are generally known for their ability to catch and devour a wide range of prey, including earthworms, insects like beetles and caterpillars, and even baby birds.
The common or European hedgehog is often found in gardens where snails abound.
Scientific name Muscidae Animal type Insect Range Europe, Asia, and non-tropical regions of Africa Diet Omnivore
Horn flies are a type of fly that feed on the blood of cattle, horses, and other mammals.
Horn flies can be controlled with insecticides, but they can also be eaten by certain animals.
Birds such as swallows and blackbirds eat horned flies, as do some lizards, frogs, and toads.
Scientific NameLimax maximusType of AnimalGastropodsRangeSouthern and Eastern AustraliaDietCarnivore
Leopard slugs are one of the most common animals that eat snails.
They are large slugs that have a pattern of brown and black spots on their bodies.
They can be found in gardens and woodlands throughout the United States.
Scientific Name Lacertilia Type of Animal Reptile World Rank Diet Carnivore
There are many different types of lizards that eat snails.
Some of the most common include the anole, gecko, and iguana.
These lizards have specially adapted mouths that allow them to open snail shells and extract the soft body inside.
They usually do not eat the shell itself.
Scientific nameMusType of animalMammalWorldRangeDietOmnivore
Mice are one of the animals that eat snails.
They are able to consume them because they have sharp teeth that can pierce the shells of snails.
Mice will usually eat the meat of the snail, but will also consume the snail shell if no other food is available.
Snail shells provide important nutrients for mice, such as calcium and phosphorous.
Mice that eat snail shells are generally healthier than mice that don’t.
Snail shells also help protect mice from predators.
Scientific NameTalpidaeAnimal TypeMammalWorldRangeDietCarnivore
Moles consume large amounts of earthworms and snails.
They locate their prey by feeling the vibrations they create as they move underground.
Scientific NamePleurodelinaeType of AnimalReptileRangeNorth America, Europe, Asia and North AfricaDietCarnivore
They have long, slimy bodies and a flattened head that is well adapted for eating slugs, snails, and even other newts.
They hunt in the water during the day, but usually live on land in moist forests near ponds or rivers.
The soft skin on their backs helps them swim in the water.
On land, their skin secretes a sticky slime that helps them climb vertical surfaces or cling to rocks to avoid falling into the water.
Scientific Name Didelphidae Type of Animal Mammal Range United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and Canada Diet Omnivore
The opossum is a small grayish-white North American marsupial.
Opossums are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of things, including fruits, vegetables, insects, carrion, and snails.
One study found that opossums consume an average of 23 snails per day.
This may not sound like a lot, but it can add up over time.
Opossums are an important part of the ecosystem and help control snail populations.
Scientific nameRatType of animalMammalWorldRangeDietOmnivore
However, there are many different types of snails, so it’s important that people with rats or other pets know which ones to feed their creatures if they want to avoid snail poisoning.
roman snails
roman snails
Scientific nameHelix pomatiaType of animalGastropodsRangeSoutheast, west, east, north and south of EuropeDietHerbivore
Roman snails are known to be tough because they can withstand very cold temperatures.
The shell of a Roman snail is brown, and the snail itself varies between shades of dark purple, pink, or blue with white spots around its body.
Scientific Name UrodelaType of AnimalReptileRangeNorth America, South America, Europe, Asia and Central AmericaDietCarnivore
Salamanders are small lizards that live on land.
Some salamanders will eat anything they find, while others will only eat certain things like fruits or leaves.
A type of salamander called the red-spotted newt prefers to hunt its food at night so it can easily avoid predators.
These little amphibians will eat any type of snail they can find, including the invasive apple snails that have been causing problems in many parts of the world.
Scientific Name Soricidae Animal Type Mammal Range North America Diet Carnivore
Shrews are a type of mammal in the Soricidae family.
Shrews are small, with many different species varying greatly in size, between 17mm and 38cm long.
They have slender bodies with very sharp teeth, but unlike rodents, they do not have elongated incisors.
Their tails are one to two inches long and are always covered in black hair.
These mammals are insectivorous, and their diet consists of a variety of different insects, including snails.
Scientific NameSnakesAnimal TypeReptileWorldRangeDietCarnivore
Snakes are one of the main predators of snails.
There are many different species of snail-eating snakes, including the king cobra, black mamba, and bushmaster.
Scientific name Passeri Type of animal Bird Range United States Diet Omnivore
Songbirds mainly consume the soft parts of the snail, such as the body and tentacles.
They also eat snail eggs.
Some species of songbirds that eat snails include the American robin, dark-eyed junco, and white-throated sparrow.
Scientific NameJesterAnimal TypeReptileWorldRangeDietCarnivore
Some people believe that the toxins in a snail’s slime may be poisonous to these predators, but there is little scientific evidence to support this claim.
Toads in particular seem to like to eat snails and go out of their way to locate them.
Scientific NameMeleagris gallopavoType of AnimalBirdRangeUnited StatesDietOmnivore
Snails are a popular target for snail-eating animals.
Wild turkeys love to feast on wildflowers, slugs, and smaller insect species, as well as mice and other small rodents, but they will also go after larger prey like this.
In fact, their main staple food is acorns from oak trees that provide protein and fat, but when they are in short supply, turkeys will seek other food sources.
This includes snails.
Snails are towards the bottom of the food chain.
They are a slow and easy target for many small mammals, reptiles, and birds.
While they have a hard shell to help protect them from predators, many with long beaks and claws can get around defenses to get their daily meal!
Living in South Africa, I have had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal.