(edit title) Really big snails! Are they native? Options

[suziezed]

I've only been here 12 days but I have been completely struck by the number and size of the snails I have encountered on my walks around Uppsala. They are BIG! There are also smaller snails that have a more colourful shell - no idea if these are an immature specimen of the bigger guys but that seems unlikely to me (not that I know anything about snails).

Just wondering if anyone knows if these big snails are native to Sweden or introduced and if they are the latter if they are considered a pest. Certainly their numbers and size would suggest that they could do damage to crops though perhaps they perform a scavenging role and aren't actually eating valuable plants.

On a separate note - anyone have recommendations for a bird book for Sweden/Scandinavia? Preferably something pocket-sized and something I'm likely to find second-hand to keep the price down (in English would be a bonus but not expecting that plus the Swedish vocabulary practice would be good!). Birdwatching is nowhere near as much fun when you don't know what you're looking at (although so far I haven't seen anything too exotic - lots of wood pigeons, magpies, sparrows and crows that remind me of the ones I'm familiar with from travel in India - not from Canada).

Thanks in advance.

Susan

[libertarianism]

I know someone who knows someone who eats snails here that they catch/gather themselves. Otherwise, I know nothing, but I was a little curious and found this...

From what I can gather slugs are sniglar, and snails are sniglar med skal or more commonly snäckor (like snacks! not really though). The terms seem to overlap at times... Found these links though: http://www.nrm.se/sv/meny/faktaomnaturen/d...niglar.138.html
http://www.nrm.se/faktaomnaturenochrymden/...sslor.7073.html

You might try the library for a bird book? Or perhaps email someone at Sveriges Orintologiska Förening for a recommendation, http://www.sofnet.org/

Here's a bird link with song, http://www.nrm.se/faktaomnaturenochrymden/...faglar.270.html

Lycka till!

P.S. I also found this very detailed link that includes snail cultivation and recipes! http://www.alternativ.nu/handbok/djur/snackodling.html

[Bender B Rodriquez]

Just wondering if anyone knows if these big snails are native to Sweden or introduced and if they are the latter if they are considered a pest. Certainly their numbers and siz ... (show full quote)

Just wondering if anyone knows if these big snails are native to Sweden or introduced and if they are the latter if they are considered a pest. Certainly their numbers and size would suggest that they could do damage to crops though perhaps they perform a scavenging role and aren't actually eating valuable plants. ... (hide full quote)

Yes, they are a pest. Some of the most intrusive and damaging species are imported.

[Mo]

my brother was on a visit a few weeks ago and identified them as edible snails

[libertarianism]

Vinbergssnäckan. See the last link in post 2.

[jack sprat]

They used to use a handful of those big black ones as axle lubricant if they had a squeaky cart wheel when out on the road.

[suziezed]

Thanks to everyone for a lively, fun and appetizing (or not, depending on your tastes :-) ) discussion. Special thanks to libertarianism for the links. I did find some bird books at the local new bookstore but a later search on abebooks.com (are folks here familiar with ABE - it is a worldwide success story headquartered in Victoria, BC so I like to 'toot its horn' ) revealed several better-priced choices in English at a local used bookstore. So that's on my list of things to do today. Yes, I know a Swedish book would be better practice but ...

Perhaps becoming a snail-farmer is my ticket to riches in Sweden. Anyone care to go in with me on the venture?

Cheers, Susan

[byke]

Yes, they are a pest. Some of the most intrusive and damaging species are imported.

Is there a large market for such? or has it been done purely as a way to damage to local markets?
(like the french and golden delicious apples in the 1980's)

[libertarianism]

The Handbok för Vardagsekologi and Wiki say that the vinbergsnäcka (aka: Helix pomatia, Burgundy snail, Roman snail, edible snail, escargot) are found throughout northwest-to-southeast Europe. Vinbergsnäckor (correct plural?) were brought to Sweden by monks in the Middle Ages, as it was acceptable to eat them during Lent. Vinbergsnäckor are limited to particular regions in Sweden, and some populations (in Sweden) have not been sustainable.

The snails have been used in medical ointments, especially for respiratory disease, as their mucus has natural anti-fungal properties. By the early 1970s, the French alone were eating around 8000 tons of vinbergsnäckor per year. As natural habitats have long since been damaged and/or disappeared, however, the species is now protected, for example, in Switzerland, Holland, and Denmark. In many areas, they are now endangered or even extinct. In England, it has since 1981 been illegal to kill, injure, collect or sell vinbergsnäckor. - What little treasures we have among us.

Also, post 6 was my favorite. Axle lube?! I suppose that's a kind of "green" technology!

[Bender B Rodriquez]

Is there a large market for such? or has it been done purely as a way to damage to local markets?. (like the french and golden delicious apples in the 1980's)

They were not imported in that sense. Rather they are hitchhikers that came with imported fruit and vegetables, and by similar means. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_slug

[libertarianism]

Bender, the creature in question (see post 1 with picture) is *NOT* a spanish slug.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

Yes, I am aware of that. It is just one example of a non-native invasive slug species. Snails are not as big of a pest as slugs though, especially not vinbergssnäckan.

[daniellenicoleB]

I've seen that kind of snail at the farm. They usually thrive in watery areas. Some nails are nutritious and were eaten by farmers.