Ask A Scientist Zoology Archive

name         Alyssa P.
status       student
age          18

Question -   If I were to measure the snail height, width, and
diameter once a week for two months would I be able to see a difference
in their shell size in the time span of those two months? If not, how
long would it take to see a difference in their size?
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It will depend on the species of snail, its age, and environmental conditions. This paper 
documented growth of a marine snail, measured carefully with a 0.1 mm caliper over a period 
of several months:
This page shows some pictures of regrowth of a damaged snail shell:
ttp://www.biology.ucsc.edu/people/potts/lonhart/Lonhart_MMSposter.pdf
http://www.ruca.ua.ac.be/mct/snails.htm
In sum, for most healthy snails, if you use a very small measuring device, probably yes.

J. Elliott
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