Examples of animals that eat snails include badgers, blackbirds, turtles, crows and foxes.
Snails are a delicacy that has been eaten for centuries.
It is no surprise then that many animals have developed a taste for snails.
They have no natural predators, they can travel up to 25 meters per day, and they are edible.
Snails are also the perfect food for some animals that don’t typically eat meat.
Examples of animals that eat snails
Examples of animals that eat snails
Scientific name Meles meles Type Animal Mammal Range Great Plains Region of North America Diet Omnivore
Badgers eat snails.
Snails are molluscs, which means they have soft bodies and no bones.
They also produce mucus to avoid predators such as badgers.
Badgers dig holes in the ground called sets for their families of up to 13 members.
The female gives birth there every spring, usually to four or five babies at a time.
Badgers are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants.
They mostly eat insects, earthworms, fruits and vegetables, but they will also hunt small mammals such as rabbits and birds.
Snails make up a very small part of their diet.
Scientific name Turdus merula Animal type Bird range Europe, North Africa, India and southern China Diet Omnivore
Blackbirds are destructive to snails.
Some examples include the blackbird, red-winged blackbird and song thrush which are all known to eat or feed on terrestrial molluscs, especially snails.
Snail shells are crushed between their strong beaks then they pull out the soft body.
The birds often hunt for snails by probing the ground with their beaks until they find a snail hiding under leaves or in the soil.
Scientific name Anguis fragilis Type of animalAnnelids Rangewest Europe Diet Carnivore
Blindworms are among the animals that eat snails.
Snails provide these animals with a great source of protein and minerals.
Pinworms in particular consume large numbers of snails, helping to keep snail populations under control.
By eating snails, these animals help maintain balance within their ecosystems.
4. Box turtle
Scientific nameTerrapene Type of animalReptile seriesUnited States DietOmnivore
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 name Chilopoda Type of animal Chilopoda Range Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Centipedes are carnivores that eat other animals to survive.
These creatures have a long body, typically up to 12 inches that has many segments and 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 (because their digestive system is very acidic).
Centipedes usually eat insects, but they are also known to feast on earthworms, lizards and other small animals.
Scientific name Corvus Type of animal Bird range Worldwide Diet Omnivorous
For example, crows are very good at spotting snails.
In the tropical rainforest there is a bird called the Bananaquit that eats insects and fruit, but also likes to eat land snails.
They usually find their prey by pecking at leaf litter on the forest floor.
Scientific nameLampyridae Type Animal Insect Range Worldwide Diet Omnivore
Fireflies eat snails, which is a good thing because they help control the snail population.
Scientific Name Vulpes Type Animal Mammal Range Worldwide Diet Omnivorous
Foxes eat snails and other invertebrates.
Scientific nameAnura Type of animal Reptile series Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Frogs are known to be one of the most common animals that eat snails.
They can also use their sticky tongues for other things, such as catching flies or even pulling snail shells from a plant.
Ground beetles
Ground beetles
Scientific name Carabidae Type Animal Insect Range Worldwide Diet Omnivore
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 of them 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 under control.
Scientific name Opiliones Type of animal Arachnid Series Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Harvestmen are not true spiders, but they are arachnids.
They have eight legs like a spider, but their body is different.
Harvestmen mostly eat snails and insects.
Scientific NameErinaceinaeType Animal Mammal Range Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand DietOmnivore
Hedgehogs are widely known for their ability to catch and devour a wide variety of prey, including earthworms, insects such as beetles and caterpillars, and even baby birds.
The common or European hedgehog is often found in gardens where there is an abundance of snails.
Scientific nameMuscidaeType of animalInsect range Europe, Asia and the non-tropical regions of Africa DietOmnivore
Horn flies are a type of fly that feeds 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 horn flies, as do some lizards, frogs and toads.
Scientific nameLimax maximus Type of animal Gastropods Range south and east of Australia Diet Carnivore
Leopard snails are one of the most common animals that eat snails.
They are large snails that have a brown and black mottled pattern on their body.
They can be found in gardens and woodlands throughout the United States.
Scientific name Lacertilia Type of animal Reptilian series Worldwide Diet Carnivore
There are many different types of lizards that eat snails.
Some of the most common include the anole, the gecko and the iguana.
These lizards have specially adapted jaws that enable them to open snail shells and extract the soft body inside.
They usually do not eat the shell itself.
Scientific Name Sparrow Species Animal Mammal Range Worldwide Diet Omnivore
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 usually eat the snail’s flesh, but they will also consume the snail’s shell if no other food is available.
Snail shells provide important nutrients for mice, such as calcium and phosphorus.
Mice that eat snail shells are typically healthier than mice that do not.
Snail shells also help protect the mice from predators.
Scientific name Talpidae Type Animal Mammal Range Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Moles consume large quantities of earthworms and snails.
They find their prey by feeling the vibrations they create as they move underground.
Scientific name Pleurodelinae Type of animal Reptile series North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa Diet Carnivore
They have long, slimy bodies and a flattened head that are well adapted for eating snails, slugs and even other salamanders.
They hunt in the water during the day, but they usually live on land in moist woodlands near ponds or rivers.
The smooth skin of their back helps them to swim through the water.
On land, their skin secretes a sticky mucus to help them climb vertical surfaces or cling to rocks so they don’t fall into the water.
Scientific name Didelphidae Type Animal Mammal Range United States, Mexico, Central America, South America and Canada Diet Omnivore
The opossum is a small, gray-white North American marsupial.
Opossums are omnivores and eat 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.
It may not seem like much, but it can add up over time.
Opossums are an important part of the ecosystem and help keep snail populations in check.
Scientific name Rattus Type Animal Mammal Range Worldwide Diet Omnivore
However, there are many different types of snails out there, so it’s important for people with pet rats or other pets to know which ones they can feed their creatures if they want to avoid snail poisoning.
Roman snails
Roman snails
Scientific nameHelix pomatia Type Animal Gastropod Range southeast, west, east, north and south of Europe Diet Herbivore
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 nameUrodela Type Animal Reptile Range North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Central America Diet Carnivore
Salamanders are small lizards that live on land.
Some salamanders will eat anything they come across while others only eat certain things like fruit or leaves.
One type of salamander called a red spotted salamander prefers to hunt for its food at night so it can easily avoid predators.
These small amphibians will eat any kind of snail they can find, including the invasive apple snails that have caused problems in many parts of the world.
Scientific name Soricidae Type Animal Mammal Range North America Diet Carnivore
Warblers are a type of mammal in the family Soricidae.
Scourges are small, with many different species varying greatly in size from between 17mm and 38cm in length.
They have slender bodies with very sharp teeth, but unlike rodents they do not have elongated incisors.
Their tails vary from one to five centimeters in length and are always covered with black hair.
These mammals are insectivores and their diet consists of a variety of different insects, including snails.
Scientific name Snakes Animal species Reptilian Series Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Snakes are one of the primary predators of snails.
There are many different types of snakes that eat snails, including the king cobra, the black mamba, and the forest master.
Scientific name PasserineType of animal Bird rangeUnited States DietOmnivore
Songbirds mainly consume the soft parts of the snail such as the body and tentacles.
They also eat the eggs of snails.
Some songbird species that prey on snails are the American robin, dark-eyed junco, and white-throated sparrow.
Scientific name Bufonidae Type of animal Reptile series Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Some people believe that the toxins in a snail’s mucus may be toxic to these predators, but there is little scientific evidence to support this claim.
Frogs in particular seem to like eating snails and will go out of their way to track them down.
Scientific name Meleagris gallopavo Animal type Bird Range United States Diet Omnivore
Snails are a popular target for animals that eat snails.
Wild turkeys like to feast on wildflowers, snails and smaller insect species as well as mice or other small rodents – but they will also go after larger prey items like these.
In fact, their main food is acorns from oak trees, which provide both protein and fat, but when these are scarce, turkeys will look for other food sources.
This includes snails.
Snails are towards the bottom of the food chain.
They are a slow, easy target for many small mammals, reptiles and birds.
Although they have a hard shell to protect them from predators, many can get around the defenses with long beaks and claws to get their daily meal!
In South Africa I had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal.