Haplotrema concavum
University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Disc Cannibal Snails are
large terrestrial
(land) snails, with a shell growing up to 3/4 inch wide and
1/2 inch tall. They have a shiny, smooth shell with whorls
(spirals making a turban shape). Disc Cannibal Snails are
greenish-white to light yellow when alive. Shells of dead
snails turn pale brown, then white. Disc Cannibal Snails live
in forests in leaf
litter and under
rotted logs. They get their name because they prey on other
snails, including live adult snails, snail eggs, and even
dead shells. Copyright, G. Thomas
Watters
Copyright, The Naturalist's Cabinet
Disc Cannibal Snails find
their prey
by following slime trails of other snails. Once they capture
prey, they drag it to a hidden area to feed. Young cannibal
snails start small with snail eggs, moving to larger prey
when they get older. Full-grown cannibal snails can eat
other snails bigger than themselves. Sometimes they even eat
other Disc Cannibal Snails. Once a cannibal snail
captures its prey, it will often play with it (up to 20
minutes) before carrying it off. It will turn its food
around, drop it, and pick it up again many times. Disc Cannibal Snails
usually live about a year. Predators
include birds and reptiles. Michigan State University
Snail Laboratory, Photo by JWA
