Copse Snail Arianta arbustorum
The Copse Snail looks very much like the Brown Garden Snail. Adult Copse Snails however are smaller and their shell is flatter. Even though the pattern of the shell is variable it usually is brownish with ochreous spots and a brown spiraling band. Adults have about 6 whorls, increasing in size. The snail itself is black. The shell is 10 to 22 mm high and up to 25 mm wide.
The Copse Snail doesn't like to move about a lot. It is said that the animal doesn't cover more than 25 metres in its entire life! And the life span is impressive: this snail may live up to 14 years. The Copse Snail is found in shady places and it prefers humidity. Still it may be found in forests, parks and gardens, mountains and sandhills. It feeds on plants, faeces and on dead animals.
Quite common all over Britain and Ireland. This species is restricted to Western and Central Europe. It is absent in Portugal and Spain and most of the Balkans.
