Nutrition

Stenotrema hirsutum like most land snails is omnivorous and will eat anything that they can find.  Their food supply includes plants, fungi, animal matter, and soil, but they will basically eat anything organic or inorganic (Hottop, 2005).

Stenotrema hirsutum and other land snails use their chemo and tactile receptors on their tentacles, olfactory senses, and highly developed eye site to find food. They have a complete digestive system that is more complex and helpful for breaking down food in their specific diet. 

Once the snails have found their food, they use their radula, which is composed of a membrane covered with a series of teeth made of chitin, to rasp, scrape, tear, or cut the food.   This radula breaks off bits of food which are then taken inside the esophagus to begin digestion (Hottop, 2005). 

Saliva initially begins to digest the food, then it is moved down into the gastric pouch via muscular contractions.  During this process, the food is being broken down by digestive enzymes. Along with these digestive enzymes are symbiotic bacteria cultures that help to break down the cellulose in plants that were consumed (Hottop, 2005).  

Connected to the gastric pouch is a large digestive gland that helps in absorbing and breaking down food further.  From here, the food is moved through the intestine, rectum, and out the anal pore for excretion(Hottop, 2005).  Due to torsion in Gastropods, this excretion may result in fouling (Hickman et al.. 2007). 

Terrestrial snails like Stenotrema hirsutum have an open circulatory system that contains a heart, blood vessels, and blood sinuses.  In this less efficient circulatory system, blood is not entirely contained within the blood vessels (Hickman et al.. 2007).  There are no capillaries and veins present.      
                                                                                                Image of Radula Diagram

Sometimes the blood flows through blood vessels            
and other times, it enters into open sinuses.  As mentioned before, this open circulatory system is not as efficient at supplying oxygen to all the tissues in the body as is a closed circulatory system seen in humans (Hickman et al.. 2007). 

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