Meet the Snails!

Herbert

February 2001

Herbert is the oldest of the snails. He is a Giant Ramshorn snail (Marisa cornuarietis) and was purchased in February 2001. His early months were spent in a six-sided 2 1/2 gallon tank. Known by many names, he takes his primary name from the children's song "Have Patience," in which there was a snail named Herbert. In the early days, when he was the only snail in the tank, he was referred to by such generic titles as "Snail," and "Mr. Snail." He is also on occasion referred to as "Herbertus Magnus." Herbert was selected from a 50 gallon fish tank in a local pet store that contained around 30 new snails. Herbert was the most active of the snails at the time, having crawled up to the top of a rock in the center of the tank, so he was selected instead of the others. Within the first few minutes in his new 2 1/2 gallon home, he climbed up to the top of the white cave and surveyed the surroundings. He soon outgrew the small tank and now passes his days in a larger 10 gallon tank. Surprisingly, there is much debate regarding the color of Herbert. To some, he appears green, whereas to others, he is allegedly brown. He becomes very excited in the presence of lettuce and cucumbers, and is known to float through the tank for hours on end by hanging on to tasty cucumber wheels. Herbert has has slowed down a bit since he was first purchased. He is about two inches in diameter. Since Herbert now regularly lays eggs on a weekly basis, his owners have wondered if a more feminine name might be more appropriate. 

Zippy

July 2001

Zippy received his name in light of the initial activity he displayed when first placed into the aquarium. Seemingly intent to explore his new surroundings, he quickly examined the span of the tank and appeared to take great interest in his new home. The surprising speed of his explorations led to his present name. Zippy has the interesting habit of burying himself for a day or two at a time, only to reappear for food and exploration. 

Sneat

August 2001

Sneat was brought to the aquarium with the thought that 1) Herbert's loneliness might be cured 2) it would be nice if a noble line of snails might be preserved. Evidence that 1 and 2 were satisfied came to light with the appearance of the first Snooble early in August 2001. Sneat's name represents what Mike heard when Michelle, upon seeing tiny snails in the tank, said,  "That's neat." Perhaps Sneat's most notable habit is attaching himself to Herbert for hours on end on cooler days. Perhaps his foot is cold.

Snooble

September 2001

The name "Snooble" is applied to all of the snails that are the first generation descendents of Herbert and Sneat.  The name originated from a discussion Mike and Michelle were having about whether or not a word Michelle used was really a word.  Mike responded with something like, "Oh, yes, that's a word--it's right next to "snooble" in the dictionary."  As usual, it turned out that Michelle was right, but the word snooble was so much fun anyway, that it became used for the snails.  The name "2nd Generation Snooble" is applied to all other descendents of Herbert and Sneat. Presently there are 10 Snoobles and 2 Second Generation Snoobles in the aquarium.

Arty

January 25, 2002

Arty was purchased on Mike's birthday, and this origin explains his epithet of "The Birthday Snail." Arty is a large apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata). The name originally chosen for Arty was Altissiodorensis, for one of his owners thought it would be neat to have a snail named after the obscure 11th century Parisian theologian. However, the other owner suggested that "Arty" would serve as better name. When selected from a large tank in the pet store, Arty was climbing on a large leaf of an aquatic plant, and this indication of an exploratory disposition was strong evidence in favor of buying him. However, upon being taken home and placed in his new surroundings, he spent the first 3 hours eating nonstop. He was placed on a large carrot, and only left the vegetable during the fourth hour in his new home. His evident delight in carrots has not abated, for he will regularly munch carrot pieces for long periods of time. He measured an inch and a half in those early days, but within 3 months he was over three inches in length. Presently he is by far the largest snail in the tank, and grows steadily. He is the most agile of the snails, being able to use his foot to catch floating fish food flakes.

The Gurgle-arium

The 10 gallon tank which presently houses the snails is supplemented by an exterior water filter that makes a difficult-to-describe bubble-sound. Hence it is at times referred to as the Gurgle-arium. Such a name allows for nice expressions such as "There are Snoobles in the Gurgle-arium."

The Owners

The owners - Michelle and Mike - are graduate students at Marquette University. Presently the snails live with Michelle, but there's a rumor in the gurgle-arium that they might get a bigger aquarium and a bigger apartment (not to mention more food) come January when the owners get married.

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Ruby Lane

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