Snail Teeth: Everything You Need to Know

Snails live all over the world, even in the ocean and in freshwater streams, lakes, and marshes. They’re known both for their extreme slowness and for the houses (shells) they carry on their backs. Like all gastropods, they have no internal skeleton or bones. But, unlike slugs, which have no shell, they do have their own exoskeleton in the form of a shell. The shell grows with them, and when they’re in danger, they can suck their bodies completely up into it. But have you ever wondered, just what do snails eat, and what kind of teeth do they have?

Here, we’ll take a deep dive into the anatomy of the snail’s mouth. We’ll learn about their unique teeth, how many they have, and what they use them for. Then, we’ll take a look at what scientists think may be the hardest substance on Earth. Finally, we’ll explore whether or not snails can bite humans, if they’re dangerous, and just how carnivorous snails go about hunting and consuming their prey.

Do Snails Have Teeth?

Despite their appearance, snails do in fact have teeth. They may not be the kind of teeth you expect, but they’re there.

First, snails have jaws that they use to pull food into their mouths. But their teeth aren’t located on the jaws — they’re actually located on the radula, the snail’s version of a tongue. The radula is a large, ribbon-like structure that can extend far outside the snail’s mouth.

How Many Teeth Do Snails Have?

The radula houses the snail’s ‘teeth’. Snails usually have between 10 and 15,000 teeth, though some may have up to 25,000. They’re generally organized in rows of about 100 teeth per row, and there may be up to 25 rows. Each ‘tooth’ is a small, conical projection on the radula (think of a shag carpet). They’re rounded and conical towards the center of the radula, and thin, sharp, and hooked towards the edges. Working as one, they act as the world’s toughest sandpaper.

What Do Snails Use Their Teeth For?

Snails have extraordinarily varied diets; depending on the species, they can eat everything from plant material to rotting vegetation and carrion, to live prey like fish and worms. Some snails specialize in things like leaves and algae, and some eat primarily earthworms, while some species, such as marine snails, spend much of their time hunting small fish. 

With such a varied diet, it’s no wonder snails have such incredibly efficient teeth. When they eat vegetation, they use their radula to lick it up into their mouth. With thousands upon thousands of toothlike projections, the radula is extremely raspy — like a cat’s tongue, only much more so. The radula is like coarse sandpaper, and the teeth quickly shred anything they come into contact with.

The Hardest Substance in the Natural World?

Scientists have made some startling discoveries about the ‘teeth’ of one species of marine snail — the limpet. Limpet teeth are used to break down rock so that the sea-going snail can get to the food it needs. Limpet teeth are made of nanofibers encased in a protein mix, along with an iron-containing crystal called goethite. 

Together, these things make the projections (teeth) of the limpet’s radula the strongest natural material known to science as of 2025. And, when the snail wears its teeth out, it simply replaces them, never running out of teeth or having to resort to gumming its food.

Do Snails Bite Humans?

Snails have particularly rough tongues, and if you place one in your hand, slime to skin, you may just feel the scratch of the radula. Particularly large snails, such as the giant African land snail, which can grow up to 15 inches long, may even give your skin a little pinch. Not to worry, though — most snail bites aren’t dangerous. But some species do have something to be worried about — venom.

Venomous Snails

Many species of sea snails are not only carnivorous, they’re venomous. Their mouths come equipped with an appendage called a proboscis. They shoot this proboscis out like a harpoon to spear and envenomate small fish. Their venom paralyzes the fish almost instantly, and the fish becomes helpless to the snail’s consumption. 

Using their jaws and radula, they pull the defenseless fish into their mouth. From there, the thousands of teeth grind against the prey, breaking it up so the snail can digest it. The teeth act like very rough sandpaper, shredding the fish with nothing more than their touch.

People have to watch out for these venomous snails; their venom is deadly enough to kill a person. So, if you’re walking in the ocean, be sure to wear water shoes.

Carnivorous Land Snails

It’s not just sea snails that are carnivorous; many species of land snail feed on insects and even other snails. One group, the Powelliphantas, is native to New Zealand and eats mostly earthworms.

When the Powelliphanta hunts, they first locate their prey and once close enough, they extend their formidable jaws and lips in one quick movement to grab the worm and pull it into their mouth. From there, the worm is doomed. Using their jaws and the motion of the radula, these snails drag the worm into their mouth. As the worm is devoured, the teeth on the radula slowly rasp away its body, until it’s ready for digestion.