Take Me to Snurch

If there's one thing I'm excited to talk about, it's the Gen Z obsession with snails.

No, really.

I became aware of this meme via TikTok, as one does these days. I came across a beautiful video of a snail and someone creating a home for the snail in an old glass lantern (similar to the results of this DIY). I then became more heavily involved in snailtok and came across the "Take me to Snurch" audio, a parody of "Take me to Church" by Hozier.

During my salamander work, I have come across quite a few slugs and snails. But on our last trip, I found two snails under the same board, and felt the need to take a picture and post it with the caption "Take me to snurch"

Take me to snurch.

Then I started thinking- why is GenZ taking to snails rather than other so-called "creepy crawlies", and what are the benefits of snails in the environment.

Snails are adorable. But so are slugs, spiders, crabs, praying mantises, and stick bugs. GenZ particularly focuses on land snails rather than aquatic snails. I think the particular love for these snails comes from their ability to hide in their shells like turtles, making them appear shy. Most land snails also have tentacles, with eyes at the end of two of the top two. This has been adorably depicted in many doodles, but was also adapted for the movie Turbo in 2013. This movie doesn't have many good reviews and is easily forgettable, but GenZ's feelings of nostalgia can cause them to have a positive view of the movie.

In the terrestrial ecosystem, snails act as the beginning of the food chain. A snail's shell is made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) which they grow themselves, and this provides a good source of calcium for predators. These predators range from expected to unexpected. Snails make food for insects, lizards, salamanders, snakes, birds, and even mammals such as foxes and bears. Both terrestrial and aquatic snails can serve as bioindicators, meaning their presence or absence from an area can be used to assess the health of an ecosystem.

I've loved seeing more terrestrial snails during my practicum and I think everyone should enjoy some snail videos now and again. Check your garden to see some real ones too!