Gardeners are familiar with snails because of the harm they may cause to plants but most won’t know much else about snails. So, let’s look at the basics and consider: Do snails have ears? And can they hear?
No, snails do not have ears. But this doesn’t mean they cannot hear. They use vibrations to detect different noises.
You will not spot conventional ears on snails. Therefore, many people assume that these slimy pests cannot hear anything. However, snails can listen through vibrations.
They have tentacles to aid them with their sense of hearing. In addition, they also help snails sense touch and taste. A snails sense of smell is its strongest sense which is why it is often used against them as a way to deter snails.
Even though this is the case, they do not have a nose as we know it. Instead, its incredibly powerful tentacles are used to smell.
Can Snails Hear?
While snails cannot hear the traditional way other animals do, it does not mean they have no sense of it. Snails, like other gastropods, do not have ears, but they can sense through vibrations.
There are two tentacles that snails use for their senses, found on the front of their bodies. You can often spot these tentacles with a naked eye.
Are Snails Deaf?
Although they are not completely deaf as they can pick up vibrations to detect noise, they cannot define those noises and cannot distinguish between different noises because they simply don’t have a hearing organ like humans and animals.
For this reason, it’s fairly safe to say that snails are deaf. But if they’re sitting in one of your plants, eating away, and you then brush a nearby leaf, they will easily detect this movement and try to escape.
How Many Ears Do Snails Have?
Snails do not have ears as other animals do. However, these animals have tentacles that help them better understand their environment.
Snails have two pairs of tentacles that can retract. There are eyes on the tips of the tentacles. Although slugs cannot hear like us, they can detect the sounds through vibrations in their skin.
Snails can understand their sense of hearing through either the eye tentacles or those below them. Tentacles play a major role in snails for survival. If snails lose any of the tentacles, they can always regrow.
Do Snails Have a Nose?
Snails do not have a traditional nose; instead, they have tentacles. If you look carefully, snails have four tentacles on their heads. The upper tentacles enable the snails to see, as they have eyes at the ends.
The lower tentacles are related to the snail’s sense of smell and taste. This enables the snail to smell around, determine the taste and look for food. In addition, snails can pick up smells in the air which may indicate danger.
The tentacles are useful in tracking not only food but also other snails. When snails glide, they leave behind a trail of slime. With their sense of smell, snails find other snails by following the slime trails.
Do Snails Have a Good Sense of Smell?
One of the best senses that snails have is their sense of smell. The olfactory neurons on the tentacles enable snails to find food and other snails. Snails may not hear well, but their sense of smell enables them to survive.
Snails have the ability to smell fungi, rotten logs, and other things of interest from afar. Therefore, one of the reasons why snails can easily enter your garden is because they can smell the plants they love.
The good news is that you can use this to your advantage. You can lure snails in to trap them. Snails are attracted to the smell of beer, and you can place beer traps all over your garden to trap them. You can get commercially available beer traps or easily make your own with some beer and plastic containers.
While snails have a great sense of smell, this will not be effective unless you use traps in the shade or overnight when the snails come out.
Do Snails Have Mouths?
Yes, snails do have mouths and this is what they use to cause endless damage in your garden. Their mouths are made up of layers of tiny teeth in a band (called a radula). They suck plant matter in, break it down and then consume it.
Can Snails Talk to Each Other?
If snails have a mouth, does this mean they can chat with one another?
Snails cannot converse as humans or animals do. Instead, they connect their tentacles and communicate through touch. Amazingly, snails can actually communicate through the slime they leave behind. This chemical mucus can act as directions to food or as a warning to other snails.
Summary
Snails are a common garden pest that many of us may have seen. However, there are certain facts about snails that we do not know.
You may not know but snails do not have ears. Instead, they have tentacles that enable them to sense through vibrations. The tentacles also enable the snails to smell. If a snail damages their tentacles, they grow back.
