Adaptation
Moving to land is an evolutionary step that G. wheatleyi and other Gastropods have successfully made. Many adaptations have been evolved to enable land snails to thrive competitively in a terrestrial setting. They use their muscular foot to roam the land they thrive on and their coiled shell is used as a protection device against drying out and predators (EOL). In order to feed, land snails use a structure known as a radula to scrape their food from rocks and other surfaces (EOL). Probably the most important adaptation was the switch from gills to a “lung” that breathes air. Once on land the gill would collapse and be inadequate structure without the flow of water, so the development of this sac-like structure that resides within the cavity of the mantle was extremely important (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011).
Find out how some of these adaptations aid in Nutrition!