Nutrition

Neohelix dentifera has similar feeding habits and rituals to the rest of the species in its class.  All snails in the class Polygyridae use a radula located in the front of the mouth, to scrape off leaf litter (Hickman et. al., 2012). Located on the leaf litter are microscopic fungi that live on the decomposing plant material (Hickman et. al., 2012). After the food is ingested, ciliary currents move the food through the digestive tract to the stomach (Pulmonates, 2010). Here the food is broken down by enzymes that are produced by salivary and digestive glands (Mollusca, 2007). After the food is broken down, it moves into the intestine where nutrients are extracted through absorption. Finally, the waste is excreted through the anus.

To learn how this snail reproduces click here

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