Travel around the world thanks to being eaten

Some snails can survive in the gut of birds for hours. Thus, they can travel as far as hundreds of kilometers before being released into a new land and still remain unharmed.

Excited by the stories of many live snails found in bird droppings, Casper van Leeuwen of the Dutch Institute of Ecology has fed four ducks to the ducks. Most of these snails did not survive, but 1% of the Hydrobia ulvae snails survived 5 hours in the mallard's belly, and were ' hitched ' for 300km.

"Birds eat thousands of snails every day, and only a fraction of them are metabolized, and a significant portion is brought to another area," said researcher Ryan Hechinger of the University of California.

Thanks to being eaten by birds, snails can go to new remote areas.

Hechinger found genetic evidence that sea snails traveled back and forth between the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean after Panama's waist was dug. Chances are they go that far because of birds.

Although the survival rate is quite good, this may be the 'carefully considered' strategy of the snail. 'I don't think snails want to be eaten by birds. Maybe they just take the opportunity, " said van Leeuwen.

Not only sea snails travel around the world thanks to other animal gut. A recent study showed that 15% of Japanese snails can survive after being eaten by birds. After coming out of bird droppings, snails can even lay off babies.