Range Habitat Life History Feeding Population Impacts Protection Home

Feeding

Florida tree snails feed on the minute lichens, algae, and fungi that grow on the bark and leaves of trees.  They feed by slowly moving forward, swaying from side to side, scraping the surface with their radulae, a snails version of teeth.

It is thought that this type of feeding is one reason for the preference for smooth-barked trees. Rough-barked trees would be more difficult to scrape for food.  The presence of feeding trails on the bark of host trees indicates that tree snails are nearby.