Welcome to the Evolution MegaLab!
Did you know that thanks to a common little snail that you can find in your garden, in the park or under a hedge, you can see evolution in your own back yard?
OK, so evolution is a very slow process. Life on Earth started about three-and-a-half billion years ago! It's the tiny changes accumulating over a long, long time that got us here. And you can see some of those tiny steps by joining the Evolution MegaLab.
Banded snails
Banded snails come in assorted colours. Their shells are various shades from yellow through pink to brown. They can have one band round the middle like a karate black belt, up to 5 bands like a T-shirt or even no band at all.
It may sound like banded snails are dressed-to-kill, but really they are dressed not to be killed. Banded snails are a favourite food of the song thrush and their various shell colours and patterns camouflage them against different backgrounds.
Shell colour also affects how sensitive a snail is to temperature.Have shell colours changed with our warming climate?
Learn more!
- Find out more in The science and Instructions pages.
- Add your own observations when you Register with us, for free.
- Browse the Current and Historical records.
- Download records to obtain a copy of the current samples.