For this activity you will need:
 

Live Snail

Paper Towels

Vinegar

Cotton Swabs

Clipboard

 
Before you begin: Please remember that the animal you are studying for this activity is a living being, like yourself. In general, don't let the animals get too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. Handle them gently and for short periods of time. Give them a "rest," and then you can handle them some more.
 

Place a snail on a moist paper towel. Dip a cotton swab into vinegar then hold the tip of the swab close to the snail's front end, but do not touch it. If the vinegar touches the snail, you may be testing a different sense (taste, or perhaps even pain). How does the snail respond to the vinegar?

 
Do all parts of the snail's body have the same response? Record your data for each part of the snail in a chart.

 
 
Do snails have a nose? If they don't, how do they breathe?
 
Answer: Snails "breathe" through their skin and through an opening called the pneumostome visible on the right side of their bodies.