Curious About Snails

PODCAST 185: CURIOUS ABOUT SNAILS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, APRIL 17TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  WE LOVE READING THE MAIL WE GET IN OUR WEEKLY MAILBAG, BUT THERE IS ONE THING WE LOVE JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE.  WE REALLY LOVE PLAYING THE VOICEMAILS YOU LEAVE US TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT AND WE’VE GOT ONE OF THOSE TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS WEEK.  

O:  DOUBLE MAILBAG!

D:  DOUBLE MAILBAG!

PAXTON VM: “HI, THIS IS DAVE AND MY SON PAXTON AND WE’RE CURIOUS ABOUT SNAILS.  WE WROTE YOU AN E-MAIL, BUT WE THOUGHT WE’D GIVE YOU A VOICEMAIL TOO, BECAUSE WE’RE SO CURIOUS ABOUT SNAILS.  WE LOVE YOUR SHOW AND WE ALWAYS LISTEN GOING TO AND FROM ALL SORTS OF PLACES IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.  LOVE YOU GUYS, BYE.”

“HELLO!  MY NAME IS ALICE.  I’M FROM CHINA.  I’M 7.  I LOVE YOUR PODCAST VERY MUCH!  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT SNAILS.  MY QUESTION IS “HOW MANY KINDS OF SNAILS WORLDWIDE?  THANK YOU!

FROM ALICE OF CHINA”

O:  WOW, THAT WAS AN INCREDIBLE VOICEMAIL AND E-MAIL.  THANKS FOR THE SNAIL MAIL.  IT’S INCREDIBLE TO HAVE LISTENERS FROM CHINA THAT LOVE LISTENING TO THE PODCAST.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SNAILS THIS WEEK FOR PAXTON AND ALICE.    

D:  WE ARE ONLY 3 EPISODES INTO SEASON 8, AND WE’VE ALREADY READ E-MAILS FROM LISTENERS IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA, SINGAPORE, TAIWAN, AND RIGHT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.  WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE AN AWESOME FAMILY OF GLOBAL LISTENERS.  WHETHER YOU LISTEN FROM OVERSEAS OR FROM RIGHT HERE IN NEW JERSEY WHERE WE RECORD THE PODCAST, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND LEARNING WITH US.  LET’S LEARN ABOUT SNAILS.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SNAIL AND A SLUG?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, WE’RE GOING TO TELL YOU A LOT ABOUT SNAILS, SO MAYBE IT WILL HELP YOU FIGURE IT OUT.  

O:  SNAILS BELONG TO A CLASS OF ANIMALS CALLED GASTROPODS.    THE PREFIX GASTRO MEANS STOMACH AND THE SUFFIX POD MEANS FOOT.  SO GASTROPOD MEANS STOMACH FOOT.  

D:  SEEMS LIKE A SILLY NAME FOR A CLASS OF ANIMALS DOESN’T IT?  

O:  IT SURE DOES, BECAUSE, FOR STARTERS, SNAILS DON’T HAVE FEET.

D:  WELL, THEY CERTAINLY DON’T HAVE FEET THAT LOOK OR WORK LIKE A HUMAN FOOT, THAT’S FOR SURE, BUT THEY DO HAVE A FOOT.  A SNAIL’S FOOT IS THE MUSCULAR LONG AND SLIMY PART OF THE SNAIL THAT HELPS IT GET AROUND.  

O:  THE FRONT END OF A SNAIL’S FOOT STRETCHES FORWARD AND PULLS THE REST OF THE SNAIL BEHIND IT.  

D:  AND SNAILS DO THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO GET AROUND.  THEY PULL THEMSELVES FORWARD, WHICH IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN HOW MOST OTHER ANIMALS MOVE.

O:  SNAILS MOVE AROUND VERY SLOWLY.  WHEN I THINK OF SLOW ANIMALS, I USUALLY THINK OF SLOTHS WHICH ARE SUPER SLOW.  GUESS WHAT!  SNAILS ARE EVEN SLOWER THAN SLOTHS, A LOT SLOWER.

D:  AT TOP SPEED, SLOTHS CAN TRAVEL ABOUT 6.5 FEET (OR 2 METERS) PER MINUTE.  SNAILS, ON THE OTHER HAND, TOP OUT AT LESS THAN 1 METER A MINUTE.  IN AN HOUR, A SNAIL CAN TRAVEL ABOUT 154 FEET.  THAT MEANS THAT IT WOULD TAKE A SNAIL ABOUT 2 HOURS TO MOVE ACROSS AN AMERICAN FOOTBALL FIELD GOING AS FAST AS IT POSSIBLY CAN.  SNAILS MOVE SO SLOWLY THAT PEOPLE OFTEN SAY THAT THINGS ARE MOVING AT A SNAIL’S PACE WHEN THINGS ARE MOVING ALONG SLOWLY.  THE TERM SNAIL MAIL IS ALSO USED TO DESCRIBE MAIL THAT IS SENT USING THE POST OFFICE, RATHER THAN AN E-MAIL, BECAUSE IT TAKES DAYS FOR MAIL TO BE DELIVERED BY POST OFFICE, MEANWHILE E-MAILS ARE DELIVERED ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY.   

O:  IT’S GOT TO BE HARD TO MOVE AROUND VERY FAST WHEN YOU’RE LUGGING AROUND A SHELL EVERYWHERE YOU GO.  

D:  YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT.  IMAGINE IF YOU HAD TO CARRY YOUR HOUSE ON YOUR BACK WHEREVER YOU GO.  SNAILS HAVE A SHELL THAT GROWS AS THEY GROW.  IN FACT, THE AGE OF A SNAIL IS OFTEN DETERMINED BY EXAMINING THEIR SHELL.  THEY COULD USE THE SHELL FOR PROTECTION AND PUT THEIR ENTIRE SLIMY BODY INTO THE SHELL IF THEY FEEL THREATENED.  

O:  RIGHT ON TOP OF THE SLIMY FOOT THAT HELPS SNAILS MOVE AROUND IS THE STOMACH.  AND THAT’S WHY THEY ARE CALLED GASTROPODS.  

D:  SNAILS CAN BE HERBIVORES, OMNIVORES, OR CARNIVORES AND THEY PREFER EATING AT NIGHT. WHERE A SNAIL LIVES DETERMINES WHAT FOOD SOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. SNAILS ENJOY EATING PLANT PARTS LIKE LEAVES AND STEMS OF PLANTS THAT ARE LIVING OR DEAD.  LOTS OF SNAILS EAT FRUITS AND MUSHROOMS.  FRESHWATER SNAILS EAT ALGAE.  CARNIVOROUS SNAILS EAT SMALL ANIMALS LIKE EARTHWORMS AND SLUGS.  A SNAIL’S DIET HAS A LOT TO DO WITH WHETHER THE SNAIL IS A TERRESTRIAL SNAIL, MEANING THAT IT LIVES ON LAND, OR WHETHER IT’S A FRESHWATER OR SALTWATER SNAIL.  THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SNAILS, AND THEIR DIETS DIFFER WIDELY.  

O:  ALICE WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SNAILS THERE ARE WORLDWIDE.  THE NUMBER OF SNAIL SPECIES COULD BE AS MUCH AS 60,000.  THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT SNAILS OF DIFFERENT SIZES AND COLORS.

D:  THE FRONT OF EACH SNAIL HAS A PAIR OF LONG STALKS WITH EYES AT THE END.

O:  UNDERNEATH THOSE STALKS ARE OTHER, SHORTER, STALKS THAT ARE USED FOR SMELLING.

D:  AND SNAILS HAVE NO EARS SO THEY CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING AT ALL.  

O:  THE REASON SNAILS ARE SO SLIMY IS BECAUSE THEY ARE COVERED IN A SLIME CALLED MUCUS.

D:  THE MUCUS THAT COVERS A SNAIL IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENT THAT THE MUCUS THAT COMES OUT OF OUR HUMAN NOSES.  THE MUCUS HELPS KEEP THE SNAIL’S FOOT MOIST AND PREVENTS IT FROM DRYING OUT.  

O:  THE MUCUS ALSO GIVES SNAILS THE ABILITY TO CLIMB DIFFERENT THINGS, LIKE ROCKS OR TREES.  THAT’S BECAUSE THE MUCUS IS NOT ONLY SLIMY BUT ALSO VERY STICKY.  

D:  WHAT’S COOL IS THAT, AS SNAILS MOVE AROUND, THEY ACTUALLY LEAVE A LITTLE TRAIL OF MUCUS SLIME BEHIND THEM.

O:  JUST LIKE WE ALWAYS KNOW WHERE MY LITTLE BROTHER HAS BEEN, BECAUSE HE LEAVES A TRAIL OF CHEEZ ITS AND GOLDFISH BEHIND HIM.

D:  EXACTLY RIGHT.  IT’S GOING TO BE HARD TO FOLLOW THAT UP, BUT GET READY FOR THE CRAZY SNAIL FACT OF THE EPISODE.

O:  SNAILS HAVE THE MOST TEETH OF ANY ANIMAL.  DEPENDING ON THE SPECIES OF SNAIL, A SNAIL CAN HAVE AS MANY AS 20,000 TEETH.  THEY DON’T HAVE JAWS.  THEY JUST HAVE A BODY PART CALLED A RADULA ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FOOT THAT IS LINED WITH THOUSANDS OF TINY TEETH THAT SCRAPE FOOD TO DIGEST IT.  THAT’S UNBELIEVABLE.

D:  AND I’VE GOT ANOTHER CRAZY SNAIL FACT FOR YOU.  WHEN THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND A SNAIL IS SO DRY THAT IT THREATENS THE SURVIVAL OF THE SNAIL, THE SNAIL WILL RETREAT INTO IT’S SHELL AND REST UNTIL IT IS SAFE TO COME BACK OUT.  THEY CAN NAP IN THEIR SHELLS FOR JUST A FEW HOURS, BUT ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF RESTING FOR UP TO 3 YEARS WAITING FOR CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE.      

OKAY OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SNAILS AND THEIR GASTROPOD BUDDIES, SLUGS?

O:  THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS THAT SNAILS HAVE A SHELL THEY LUG AROUND ON THEIR BACKS AND SLUGS DON’T HAVE A BIG SHELL LIKE THAT.  SLUGS EITHER HAVE NO SHELL, OR THEY CAN EVEN HAVE AN INTERNAL SHELL INSIDE THEIR BODIES.  WITHOUT A SHELL TO CARRY AROUND, SLUGS CAN BE FASTER THAN SNAILS AND THEY CAN ALSO SQUEEZE THEMSELVES INTO SMALLER PLACES.    

D:  ASIDE FROM THE SHELL, SNAILS AND SLUGS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO EACH OTHER, AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEM.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  185 - SNAILS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB TO PAXTON AND ALICE FOR THE SLIMY EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION.  BEFORE WE WRAP THIS EPISODE UP, WE HAVE A FEW PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, YISHA Q., AND SCOUT AND CASH C.

D:  A BIG, BIG THANKS TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS.  YOUR SUPPORT MEANS SO MUCH TO US AND HELPS US CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE LOVE.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK USERNAME NICO ARANA FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “THIS IS HOW MY 7 YEAR OLD DESCRIBES THE PODCAST.  WE LOVE TO LISTEN WHEN WE ARE IN THE CAR AND ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT NEW THINGS IN THESE SHORT AND FUN EPISODES.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.  FROM NICO.” 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE KIND WORDS NICO.  5 STAR REVIEWS ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR HELPING NEW LISTENERS FIND THE PODCAST.  IF YOU LOVE CURIOUS KID PODCAST, WE WOULD BE SO GRATEFUL IF YOU TOOK A MINUTE TO LEAVE A REVIEW.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT MUSHROOMS FOR LISTENERS IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND OTTOWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.