Meet The Fire Snail, The Snail World's Answer To A Vampire

They can grow up to 30cm (~12 inches) in length!

Stephanie

• Published in Weird
• May 29, 2020

Okay, so snails are probably not the first thing that pops into your mind when thinking about options for a new pet. And there's a good reason for that. They're slimy, somewhat creepy, and not exactly what you'd call cute!

Until now. Enter the Fire snail. Unlike any other, this native to the Cameron Highlands is thought to be the biggest endemic snail from the Peninsula Malaysia. They can grow up to 30cm in length, which is almost 12 inches.

With it's stunning deep red and black colors, the Fire snail (or Platymma Tweediei) can be challenging to keep alive due to needing to live in very cool but humid conditions.

Like all snails, Fire snails are often used as food, their secretion is used in cosmetics, and their shells are known to be used in jewelry and decorative items.

Sadly, Fire snails are only found in specific areas. They are tough to keep alive in captivity, and only 1% of the world’s forests are inhabitable for them.

It's not known precisely how many Fire snails there are throughout the world, but sadly, due to their particular way of living and the destruction of their most common living quarters, extinction may not be far away.

Stephanie