Tree Snails
by Anne Baxter

One of the most beautiful shells found in the Florida Keys is found, not in the ocean or on the seashore, but on the trunks of such tropical trees as Wild Tamarind, Jamaica Dogwood, Bustic, Pigeon Plum, Sapodilla, Avocado, and other smooth-barked trees. It is the tree snail, Liguss Fasciatus.

The tree snail is multi-colored and often has striped bands which follow the natural curvature of its shell. Some snails have spots or other designs as well. Colors range from beige, brown, rust, orange, and yellow. Surprisingly, snails do no harm to the trees. They do not eat leaves. Their food is minute algae, fungi, and lichens which cling to the trunks of the trees and under leaf debris at the base of the tree.

Because of their beauty their shell is prized by shell collectors and others the world over. Natural predators include hermit crabs, raccoons, opossums, birds, rats, and a snail called Euglandina rosea. Euglandina rosea  (pictured at right) is similar to the tree snail in shape. When alive, it has faint rosy to tan fine-line stripes running parallel to its aperture and toward the tip of its shell. When this snail dies, it turns white and dull.

During dry spells, the tree snail forms a mucous seal around its aperture and where it is touching the tree trunk. This seal hardens to crystalline strength, serving both to hold the snail to the trunk and to seal in moisture. If the snail is pulled off the tree, he usually dries up and dies. You can see these interesting creatures on many nature trails through the Keys.