Give A Snail A Paint Job And You Just Might Save Its Life. Plus, It’ll Look Super Cute.

Snails are pretty amazing, from their wiggly eye stalks to the way they carry their houses around on their backs. Unfortunately, they’re also pretty small, and as a result, they often get stepped on. Their camouflage helps them evade predators in nature, but in areas where humans are the majority of the animals, a little visibility might actually help.

In several places, some people decided to extend some safety to their snail friends by giving them some bright decoration. Not only does it make the snails more visible (and less likely to be stepped on), but it also adds a bit of fun to the general surroundings.

No one is sure where the trend started, but it’s believed that this image, found on Imgur, is the earliest known example of snail painting.

Imgur

The earliest-known image of a painted snail, with commentary

Soon, the Internet exploded with photos of snails with paint jobs. Some were simple, and some were quite elaborate. Whole blogs sprung up around snail-painting projects. Aside from making snails more visible to humans, some artists also claimed that the bright colors would make predatory animals think snails were toxic and avoid them. Bright colors usually indicate toxicity in nature. Conversely, some complained that the paint could harm the snails by damaging their shells. There is controversy about the ethics of painting another creature, but it hasn’t stopped people from decorating snails around the world.

Stefan Siveraud

This sassy snail’s shell reads “What that f*** are you looking at?” in Swedish.

Stefan Siveraud

Swedish artist and snail enthusiast Stefan Siveraud has an incredibly steady hand, or maybe just a loyal snail following.

Stefan Siveraud

This seems like a slightly disconcerting home to have, but then I’m not exactly up on what’s considered cool among snails.

Stefan Siveraud

This snail is cleverly disguised as a zebra. You would never be able to tell the difference.

Stefan Siveraud

This snail wanted to disguise itself as a poisonous mushroom for safety.

Stefan Siveraud

Here’s a brand-loyal snail.

Flickr/matt williams

A collection of snails whose paint jobs mimic the “eye spot” defense found in nature. Only with more flair.

Slinkachu

This intricate, graffiti-style paint job compliments this pale snail.

Slinkachu

Some wonder if the paint jobs will make the snails more visible to predators, but I can tell you, if I were a snail-eater, I would avoid the one that looks like demonic Pikachu.

Slinkachu

This snail’s paint job lets it blend into urban environments.

Jake Wild

According to the artist, this was done using watercolor, so it will wash off eventually.

Flickr/Julochka

This snail has a rainbow accent, but you can still see the natural beauty of its shell.

If you’re inspired to try this, there are a few things you need to take into consideration: First, always use non-toxic paint, because it touches the snail and will eventually wear off into the environment. Second, avoid painting near the top of the shell (near the snail’s head). The reason for this is that snails (and slugs) have a breathing pore at that location called a pneumostome, and getting paint in/on it can block it. As always, be careful if you’re going to handle snails. You might consider offering them some water and lettuce for lunch.

Via BoredPanda

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