This week we're taking a brief look at apple snails (Ampullariidae).
This family of snails is commonly known as the apple or mystery snails and contains some of the largest snail species on earth. They can be found all over the world in tropical regions where periods of drought and high rainfall occur. Habitats include ditches, ponds, swamps, and rivers. Some species of apple snails are cultured for human consumption which has led to them escaping farms and becoming an invasive pest in many countries.
These snails have a lung and gill system which makes them amphibious, and several genera lay calcareous pink egg clusters above the water. Unlike some other snails, this family is not hermaphroditic and the snails are either male or female. During dry spells they shut their operculum tightly to conserve water and bury themselves in the mud. The species commonly found in aquaria come in many different colors from brown to albino or yellow and even blue, purple, pink, and jade, with or without banding.
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