Slow..Smelling...Slimy....Slippery Snails. I'm referring to those slimeeey invertebrates (back-boneless) with coiled shells and long antennas protruding out from their body. Many of us disgusted at the sight of these unglamorous slow-moving creatures endearing the earth. Likewise, I have an interest for them. I am amazed by it's ability to travel and its never-stop-moving personality.

It's the definitely the slowest moving-animal on Earth but are we able to cover more distance than what these wonderful snails can do in their entire life span?

As the saying goes " don't judge a book by its cover" , this ugly monster do have their strengths too; they are slow but strong because it can carry up to 50 times it's weight when gliding horizontally. Unbelievable. They are definitely helpful in a way, because they are workhorses that clean plant matter for free as they stumble upon new adventures.

We hereby come to "how do snails reproduce?". Since it doesn't really reveal it's physical features, we don't really know how it is able to exist in this world at all. Research has shown that they reproduce in an very unusual way different from many other animals. They are categorized as Hermaphrodites (having both female and male reproductive organs). It may so happen that the readiness to mate between two snails is very special, so that the copulation (mating) attempts may look more like a wrestling match.

1. Both penises are entwined and inserted into the mate's vagina. The union successfully completed, both snails stay as they are for hours.
2. A sperm packet, Spermatophore , is produced in either snail's body and afterward filled with sperm cells.
3. After Copulation, they separate and those sperm cells may then manage to fertilise egg cells.
   
4. Fertilization occurs when it is time to lay eggs, provided the environmental conditions are favorable and there is a place to store the eggs in the ground.

Snails start life as an egg buried in a nest a few centimeters below the surface of the ground. Snail eggs hatch after about two to four weeks depending on the weather and environmental conditions (most importantly, temperature and soil moisture). After hatching, the newborn snail sets out on an urgent search for food.

The young snails are so hungry, they feed on the leftover shell and any nearby eggs that have not yet hatched. As the snail grows, so does its shell. When the snail matures after a few years, the snail mates and lays eggs, thus completing the full life cycle of a snail.

-Summary-

Snails aren't like what we thought they were after all. Most of the time,they are identified as being vulnerable, once crushed, they will be on their way to heaven. However, they are strong and they are also effective cleaners.

One special thing about snails is that they are homosexual! Yes, they are female and male. WEIRDEST! They are also very unique as they have a different way of reproduction. So next time you want to pet a snail, you will have a difficult time naming the snail. Girl or Boy?

THE END, Done By TANJUNJIE Of 4E1's Biology Class.