A grove snail with a banded shell rests on a surface.

Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) — A grove snail with a banded shell rests on a surface.

Creator: A. Abrahami, [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cepaea_nemoralis_2.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0. Licence: [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Species record

Grove Snail

Cepaea nemoralis

Explore the Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The grove snail is a land snail native to much of Europe and introduced to parts of North America. It lives in hedgerows, grasslands, open woodland, gardens, and coastal dunes, and eats mainly dead plant material and herbs. Its shell colour and banding vary among individuals.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Mollusca
  3. Class: Gastropoda
  4. Order: Stylommatophora
  5. Family: Helicidae
  6. Genus: Cepaea

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
hedgerows, grassland and downland turf, open deciduous woodland, coastal sand dunes, gardens and parks
Selected regions
Europe, North America

Conservation status

The Ark records: Least Concern.

Did you know?

  • Grove snail shells may be yellow, pink, or brown, with or without dark bands.
  • Grove snails often eat dead plant material and herbs.

More images

A grove snail with a banded shell is tucked into moss.

Grove Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) — A grove snail with a banded shell is tucked into moss.

Creator: [Von.grzanka](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Von.grzanka), [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cepaea_nemoralis_on_moss_2.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0 or GNU FDL 1.2 or later. Licences: [CC BY-SA 3.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en), [GNU FDL 1.2](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html).

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0; or GNU FDL 1.2 or later

View image source

Sources and attribution