![]() ![]() Mucus is a gel consisting of a polymer network that functions as a protective layer for the integument and mucosal surfaces of both elementary animals and mammals. The slime trail that a land gastropod leaves behind is often visible as a silvery track on surfaces such as stone or concrete. The foot mucus of a gastropod has some of the qualities of glue and some of the qualities of a lubricant, allowing land snails to crawl up vertical surfaces without falling off. The other kind of external mucus has evolved to coat the external parts of the gastropod's body in land species, this coating helps prevent desiccation of the exposed soft tissues. The reproductive system of gastropods also produces mucus internally from special glands.Įxternally, one kind of mucus is produced by the foot of the gastropod and is usually used for crawling. ![]() Land snails and slugs both produce mucus, as does every other kind of gastropod, from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. Snail slime ( mucopolysaccharide) is a kind of mucus (an external bodily secretion) produced by snails, which are gastropod mollusks. A crawling individual of the small land snail Cochlicella barbara leaving a slime trail behind it.
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