Ways of Life

Nutrition:
The Japanese mystery snail diet includes sludge and detritus.  The variety of bacteria provides necessary sustenance.  The Japanese mystery snail also consumes zooplankton and phytoplankton (Kurihara and Kadowaki, 1988).

Reproduction:
Females are slightly larger than males.  Ovaries are present in the female species and testes in the male species. A male Japanese Mystery Snail lacks a normal penis, so instead they have adapted a stronger, shorter right tentacle to function as the penis (Animal Diversity Web, 2000). Copulation leads to internal fertilization and direct development of the young.  As this species is from the viviparidae family, the female bears live small snails that are crawling at birth (Animal Diversity Web, 2000). They are released one by one through the vagina.  Females may bear 10-120 young.  The life span of the female is up to 8 years (Jokinen, 1992).

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