What's in a snail trail, and why does it get hearts racing?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-05-28 11:00

Australia; QLD

Snail trails from the common garden snail contain a host of proteins and volatile substances that might act as pheromones, according to Australian research. The researchers found that when one snail crossed another snails silvery trail, their heart rate went from 46.9 to 51 beats per minute. To better understand what might be behind this reaction, the researchers analysed the components of the mucusy trails. They found some of the components could function as pheromones or pheromone blends, suggesting a role for trail mucus in chemical communication.

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conference: PLOS ONE

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Organisation/s: University of the Sunshine Coast

Funder: Grains Research Development Corporation, Contract code is USU1903-001RSX The GRDC has provided funding for this project; however, they had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.

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