# how in the....



## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

Ok so i have a question for all of you. I have had my snail for months now, it was one of the first enhabitants of my 20g when i set it up like 5 months ago or whenever it was. Also not ive never ever had more than one. So about a month or so ago i noticed my snail laying eggs, at which point i just figured it was a she and that she had matured to the point where she could do that, and I didnt really worry about it because, well she was the only one and seeing as she was a she the eggs would never be fertalized anyways.

Well i went away for about a week to watch a relatives house last week and when i came back i noticed a number of my snails were the wrong color, they were a very clear almost transparent color. I automaticaly assumed that something had happened and the snails were starving or something.

however today when i was gathering a few pond and trumpet snails to transfer to my 90g i picked a few of the transparent snails thinking, well their dying anyways they may as well make a snack for my crays and sunfish. However when i picked up one of the tiny sickly snails i looked very close at it and discovered that it wasnt transparent anymore, infact it was yellow, and that it had a operculum. Now my pond snails do not have operculums (trap doors on their shells). Infact the only snails i have that have them are my single apple snail and my nerites, and this doesnt look like a nerite. So my question to all of you is HOW DID MY SINGLE SNAIL BREED! can they change sex by any chance?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

some snails are hermaphrodites and can fertilize their own eggs, but not apple snails. Are you sure you didn't bring in some eggs on a plant.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

I've heard of apple snails holding on to sperm for months and months until they're ready to lay their eggs. Maybe that's what happened?


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

I know i didnt bring in their eggs because their eggs are huge and pink, hard to miss.

Im thinking its just that she held onto the sperm untill now but my god, thats like six months of storing sperm.


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

Asexual Reproduction is possible i many types of snails.


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

not apple snails i checked, I was more curious as to whether or not they can change sex like some animals can


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## Cam (Nov 9, 2009)

God, that scares me. Reminds me of some Alien horror movie.


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## Christine270 (Oct 13, 2010)

I've heard of asexual snails but I know that Apple snails aren't. 

This is a mystery. Haha mystery snails!  

I'll let you know if my single snail ever has babies. Hahahaha. 
I would think snail eggs would be hard to miss upon the transfer to your tank. They are usually in a pretty large cluster. Maybe she was hoarding sperm like snyderguy said.


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## Corwin (May 23, 2010)

yeah im really thinking it was hording sperm, and yeah apple snail eggs would be impossible to miss (look em up if youve never seen em).

Im not sure if you guys know what i mean by switching sexes is something born as a male turning female in a single sex environment. I know some fish can do it (I believe some species of tetra).  the only example of which i can think of is jurassic park though and I know that that isnt exactly the best example haha (though if you havent read them read the books their excellent).


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