Nutrition

            Land snails, such as Patera roemeri eat using a structure called a radula (Hickman et al., 2012).  The radula is a ribbon-like structure with teeth made of chiton (Merriam-Webster, 2012).  It is used to grasp and scrape food, which is usually plant materials, but may sometimes be other small animals, including other snails (Hickman et al., 2012).  Snails must also have a readily available supply of calcium in their diet, because their shells are made of calcium carbonate, and continue to grow throughout the snail’s life (Land Snails, FOSS, 2011).  After ingestion, the food travels to a stomach, where it is digested with aid from the digestive gland, continues through the intestine, and then is excreted through the anus. (Hickman et al., 2012).