Vintage black and white ramshorn snail illustration from an 1848 book. These air-breathing freshwater snails can grow up to 1.57 inches around. Their shells are coiled to the left. In describing these snails, Jane W. Loudon, said the shells had a horn-like look about their shells reminiscent of a ram’s. They also have an interesting defense mechanism. When threatened, the snail emits a dark reddish liquid. The liquid effectively muddies the water so that the snail is hidden from its enemies. They lay their eggs on leaves. The scientific name of these snails is Planorbis corneus.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
