Snail is a common name for almost all members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in a general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. Otherwise snail-like creatures that lack a shell are called slugs. One species of land snail, the Giant African Snail, can grow to be 15 inches (38 cm) from snout to tail, and weigh 2 pounds (0.91 kg). The largest living species of sea snail is Syrinx aruanus which has a shell that can measure up to 91 cm (36 in) in length, and the whole animal with the shell can weigh up to 18 kg (40 lb).
