Examples of animals that eat snails include badgers, badgers, turtles, crows and foxes.
Snails are a delicacy that has been eaten for centuries.
It is therefore not surprising that many animals have developed a taste for snails.
They have no natural predators, they can cross up to 25 meters per day, and they are edible.
Snails are also 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 meles Species of animal Mammal Range Great Plains of North America Diet Omnivore
Badgers eat snails.
Snails are molluscs, which means they have a soft body and no bones.
They also produce mucus to avoid predators such as badgers.
Badgers dig holes in the ground called setti for their families of up to 13 members.
The female gives birth there every spring, usually four to five cubs at a time.
Badgers are omnivores, which means they eat both meat and plants.
They mainly eat insects, earthworms, fruits and vegetables, but 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 species Bird range Europe, North Africa, India and southern China Diet Omnivore
Blackbirds are destructive to snails.
Some examples include blackbirds, red-winged blackbirds and warblers, which are known to eat or feed on land-dwelling molluscs, especially snails.
Snail shells are crushed between their powerful beaks and then the soft body is pulled out.
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 Species of animal Annelids Distribution Western Europe Diet Carnivore
Blind animals are some of the animals that eat snails.
Snails provide these animals with an excellent source of protein and minerals.
Blind worms in particular eat large numbers of snails, which helps keep the snail population under control.
By eating snails, these animals help maintain balance within their ecosystems.
4. Box turtle
Scientific Name Terapen Animal Species Reptile Range United States Diet Omnivore
A turtle is a terrestrial creature that feeds mainly on snails and other small invertebrates.
They have a tough armor that protects 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 Animal species Chilopoda Range Worldwide Diet Carnivore
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 poison into the prey’s body, causing paralysis and death within minutes (because their digestive system is very acidic).
Centipedes generally eat insects, but they also feed on earthworms, lizards and other small animals.
Scientific name Corvus Animal species Distribution of birds Worldwide Diet Omnivore
Crows, for example, are very good at spotting snails.
In the tropical rain forests there is a bird called 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 nameLampyridaeType of animalInsectRangeWorldNutritionOmnivores
Fireflies eat snails, which is good because they help control the snail population.
Scientific name Vulpes Species of animal Mammal Range World Nutrition Omnivore
Foxes eat snails and other invertebrates.
Scientific nameAnuraType of animalReptilesRangeWorldDietCarnivores
Frogs are known to be one of the most common animals that eat snails.
They can also use their sticky tongue for other things, such as catching flies or even removing snail shells from a plant.
Ground Beetles
Ground Beetles
Scientific nameCarabidaeType of animalInsectRangeWorldDietOmnivores
Yellowtails are predators that eat snails and other small invertebrates.
They are often found near water where they can easily catch their prey.
Floor mats come in many different colors, but most are black or brown.
These insects have a tough exoskeleton that helps protect them from predators.
Ground beetles are useful to gardeners as they help keep other pests under control.
Scientific nameOpilionesType of animalArachnidRaspWorldwideDietZnivore
Reapers are not true spiders, but they are spiders.
They have eight legs like a spider, but their body is different.
Reapers eat mainly snails and insects.
Scientific nameErinaceinaeType of animalMammalRangeEurope, Asia, Africa and New ZealandDietOmnivores
Hedgehogs are generally known for their ability to capture 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 snails abound.
Scientific nameMuscidaeType of animalRange of insectsEurope, Asia and non-tropical areas of AfricaDiet Omnivores
Hornflies are a type of fly that feeds on the blood of cattle, horses and other mammals.
Bark beetles can be controlled with insecticides, but they can also be eaten by certain animals.
Birds such as swallows and blackbirds eat blackbirds, as do some lizards, frogs and toads.
Scientific nameLimax maximus Species of animal Snails Distribution south and east of Australia Diet Carnivore
Leopard snails are one of the most common snail-eating animals.
They are large slug snails with brown and black spots on their bodies.
They can be found in gardens and forests throughout the United States.
Scientific name Lacertilia Animal species Reptile Distribution Worldwide Diet Carnivore
There are many different species of snail-eating lizards.
Some of the most common include anoles, geckos, and iguanas.
These lizards have specially adapted mouths that allow them to open the snail’s shells and extract the soft flesh from them.
They usually don’t eat the shell itself.
Scientific name MusType of AnimalMamalRasellWildwideDietSomnivore
Mice are one of the animals that eat snails.
They are able to eat them because they have sharp teeth with which they can break through the shells of snails.
Mice usually eat snail meat, but will also eat snail shells if there is no other food available.
Snail casings provide important nutrients for mice, such as calcium and phosphorus.
Mice that eat snail shells tend to be healthier than mice that don’t.
Snail shells also help protect mice from predators.
Scientific name Talpidae Animal species Mammal Range World Diet Animal
Moles consume large quantities of earthworms and snails.
They locate their prey by feeling the vibrations they create as they move underground.
Scientific name Pleurodelinae Animal species Reptile Distribution North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa Diet Carnivore
They have long, slimy bodies and flattened heads that are well adapted for feeding on slugs, snails, and even other newts.
They hunt in the water during the day, but usually live on land in wet forests near ponds or rivers.
The smooth skin on their backs helps them swim through the water.
On land, their skin secretes a sticky mucus that helps them climb vertical surfaces or hold on to rocks to keep from falling into the water.
Scientific name Didelphidae Animal species Mammal Range United States, Mexico, Central America, South America and Canada Diet Omnivore
The opossum is a small, grayish-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 eat an average of 23 snails a day.
That may not seem like much, but it can add up over time.
Opossums are an important part of the ecosystem and help control the snail population.
Scientific nameRattusType of animalMammalRangeWorldDietOmnivorous
There are many different types of snails, so it’s important for people who have rats or other pets to know which ones to feed their creatures if they want to avoid snail poisoning.
Roman snails
Roman snails
Scientific name Helix pomatia Animal type Snails Distribution south-east, west, east, north and south of Europe Diet Herbivore
Roman snails are known to be tough because they can withstand very low temperatures.
The shell of the Roman snail is brown, and the snail itself varies between shades of dark purple, pink or blue with white spots around the body.
Scientific name Urodela Species of animal Reptile Distribution North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Central America Nutrition Animal
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 species of salamander called the red spotted newt prefers to forage at night to easily avoid predators.
These small amphibians will eat any type of snail they find, including the invasive apple snails that are causing problems in many parts of the world.
Scientific name Soricidae Animal species Mammal Distribution North America Diet Carnivore
Shrews are a species of mammal from the Soricidae family.
Shrews are small, with many different species varying greatly in size from 17 mm to 38 cm in length.
They have a slender body with very sharp teeth, but unlike rodents, they do not have elongated incisors.
Their tail is one to five centimeters long and is always covered with black fur.
These mammals are insectivores and their diet consists of a variety of insects, including snails.
Scientific name SnakeSpecies Reptile Distribution Worldwide Diet Carnivore
Snakes are one of the main predators of snails.
There are many different species of snakes that eat snails, including the king cobra, black mamba, and slug.
Scientific name Passeri Animal species Distribution of birds United States Diet Omnivore
Songbirds mainly eat the soft parts of snails such as the body and tentacles.
They also eat snail eggs.
Some species of songbirds that hunt snails are the American robin, dark-eyed junco, and white-throated sparrow.
Scientific nameBufonidae Species of animal Reptile Distribution Diet in the world Nutrition Carnivore
Some people believe that toxins in snail mucus may be poisonous to these predators, but there is little scientific evidence to support this claim.
Toads seem particularly fond of eating snails and will go out of their way to track them down.
Scientific name Meleagris gallopavo Animal species Bird range United States Diet Omnivore
Snails are a popular target for snail-eating animals.
Wild turkeys like to feast on wildflowers, snails, slugs and smaller types of insects, as well as mice or other small rodents – but they will also go after larger prey such as this.
In fact, their main food is oak acorns, which provide both protein and fat, but when they are scarce, turkeys will look for other food sources.
This includes snails.
Snails are at the bottom of the food chain.
They are slow, easy targets for many small mammals, reptiles and birds.
Although they have tough armor to help protect them from predators, many with long beaks and claws can bypass defense mechanisms to get their daily meal!
Living in South Africa I had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal.