Great Pond Snail (lymnaea stagnalis)

This is one of two snails we find in the pond at Scotswood Garden. It is also the biggest and most common pond snail in England, but it is not so common in Scotland or Wales. Unlike the Ramshorn snail (the other snail present in our pond), it has a 3D swirly shell with a pointy end, which makes you think of the seaside. However it needs freshwater not salty sea water to survive. 

Like other snails, it breathes oxygen. It is very good at extracting oxygen from the water and it also comes to the surface to breathe oxygen from the air too. Therefore it is good at surviving in ponds where there isn't much oxygen.

Amazingly most snails are hermaphrodites which means that they have male and female parts. This means that some snails don’t need to mate at all to produce young.