CreatureData

Garden snail

Cornu aspersum (O. F. Müller, 1774)

Status not recordedsnails and slugs

The garden snail (Cornu aspersum) is a mollusc in the snails and slugs group, placed in the family Helicidae. It belongs to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Mollusca and class Gastropoda, within the subfamily Helicinae, tribe Thebini and genus Cornu.

Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Photo: Zachi Evenor · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the garden snail

Its scientific name carries the authority (O. F. Müller, 1774), and other English names for it include Brown gardensnail, Speckled escargot, Brown garden snail, Common garden snail and European brown snail.

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
2 years – 3 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
human_modifiedsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
50src for Young per litter or clutch
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

What eats the garden snail?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded predators of the garden snail

3 on record

  1. Song thrush Turdus philomelos17 sources
  2. Drilus flavescens3 sources
  3. Eurasian magpie Pica pica2 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records

Photos of the garden snail

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Prettypinkpeacock · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Missvain · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Rachel · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
0959kedi · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Rand Workman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Luísa Moura · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)
Levadura5 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the garden snail live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the garden snail as introduced in 37 countries, and flagged as invasive in 9 of them.

  1. Brazilinvasive
  2. Chileinvasive
  3. Colombiainvasive
  4. Denmarkinvasive
  5. Franceinvasive
  6. Haitiinvasive
  7. Peruinvasive
  8. United Kingdominvasive
  9. Venezuelainvasive
  10. Albania
  11. Argentina
  12. Australia
  13. Austria
  14. Bosnia & Herzegovina
  15. China
  16. Egypt
  17. Estonia
  18. Fiji
  19. Gambia
  20. Germany
  21. Hungary
  22. Ireland
  23. Israel
  24. Japan
Show 13 more countries
  1. Mauritius
  2. Mexico
  3. Moldova
  4. New Zealand
  5. Poland
  6. Saudi Arabia
  7. Serbia
  8. South Africa
  9. Switzerland
  10. Thailand
  11. Ukraine
  12. United States
  13. Zimbabwe

Also listed for parts of: Ecuador (Ecuador).

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

What is the garden snail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Cornu aspersum (syn. Helix aspersa, Cryptomphalus aspersus), known by the common name garden snail, is a species of land snail in the family Helicidae, which includes some of the most familiar land snails. Of all terrestrial molluscs, this species may be the most widely known. It was classified under the name Helix aspersa for over two centuries, but the prevailing classification now places it in the genus Cornu.

The garden snail is relished as a food item in some areas, but it is also widely regarded as a pest in gardens and in agriculture, especially in regions where it has been introduced accidentally, and where snails are not usually considered to be a menu item.

From the Wikipedia article “Cornu aspersum” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornu_aspersum&oldid=1384676630), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the garden snail endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the garden snail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumMollusca
  3. classGastropoda
  4. familyHelicidae
  5. genusCornu
  6. SpeciesCornu aspersum (O. F. Müller, 1774)

Synonyms Cantareus aspersus, Cochlea vulgaris, Cornu aspersum aspersum, Cornu copiae, Cryptomphalus aspersus, Helix aggerivaga, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa f. canaliculata, Helix aspersa f. normalis, Helix aspersa figarolae, Helix aspersa var. acuminata, Helix aspersa var. alba, Helix aspersa var. albescens, Helix aspersa var. albofasciata, Helix aspersa var. alticola, Helix aspersa var. brunnea, Helix aspersa var. brunnea, Helix aspersa var. cirtensis, Helix aspersa var. clathrata, Helix aspersa var. concolorpallida, Helix aspersa var. conica, Helix aspersa var. conoidea, Helix aspersa var. couderti, Helix aspersa var. depressa, Helix aspersa var. eburnea, Helix aspersa var. elata, Helix aspersa var. eutecta, Helix aspersa var. exalbida, Helix aspersa var. fasciata, Helix aspersa var. fasciata, Helix aspersa var. flammea, Helix aspersa var. flavescens, Helix aspersa var. glabra, Helix aspersa var. globosa, Helix aspersa var. globulosa, Helix aspersa var. grisea, Helix aspersa var. immaculata, Helix aspersa var. lutea, Helix aspersa var. luteola, Helix aspersa var. lutescens, Helix aspersa var. major, Helix aspersa var. major, Helix aspersa var. marmorata, Helix aspersa var. maxima, Helix aspersa var. maxima, Helix aspersa var. megalostoma, Helix aspersa var. minor, Helix aspersa var. minor, Helix aspersa var. monozona, Helix aspersa var. nana, Helix aspersa var. nigrescens, Helix aspersa var. obscurata, Helix aspersa var. ponderosa, Helix aspersa var. puncticulata, Helix aspersa var. putris, Helix aspersa var. quinquefasciata, Helix aspersa var. rufescens, Helix aspersa var. rufulazonata, Helix aspersa var. rugulosa, Helix aspersa var. semifusca, Helix aspersa var. solida, Helix aspersa var. solidissima, Helix aspersa var. subcornucopiae, Helix aspersa var. suzanae, Helix aspersa var. tenuior, Helix aspersa var. tenuis, Helix aspersa var. translucens, Helix aspersa var. typica, Helix aspersa var. undulata, Helix aspersa var. unicolor, Helix aspersa var. virescens, Helix aspersa var. virescens, Helix aspersa var. virescens, Helix aspersa var. zonata, Helix betae, Helix depereti, Helix depressa, Helix mazzulopsis, Helix minor, Helix rufescens, Helix secunda, Helix solidissima, Helix spumosa, Helix variegata, Pomatia aspersa

Other names and names in other languages (44)
  • Brown garden snailEnglish
  • Brown gardensnailEnglish
  • Common garden snailEnglish
  • European brown snailEnglish
  • Speckled escargotEnglish
  • Gewone TuinslakAfrikaans
  • cascoxuAsturian
  • Caragol BoverCatalan
  • hlemýždík kropenatýCzech
  • Plettet voldsneglDanish
  • Gefleckte WeinbergschneckeGerman
  • Κρητικός κοχλιόςGreek
  • Caracol europeo comúnSpanish
  • caracol de jardínSpanish
  • Caracol europeo de jardínSpanish
  • sagriinikotiloFinnish
  • Petit-grisFrench
  • Escargot petit-grisFrench
  • Caracol de xardínGalician
  • חלזון הגינהHebrew
  • שבלול הגינהHebrew
  • Smeđi vrtni pužCroatian
  • Smeđi hrapavacCroatian
  • pettyes éticsigaHungarian
  • Chiocciola zigrinataItalian
  • プチグリJapanese
  • ヒメリンゴマイマイJapanese
  • Raiboji sraigenėLithuanian
  • flekkbåndsneglNorwegian Bokmål
  • SegrijnslakDutch
  • flekkbandsnigelNorwegian Nynorsk
  • ślimak szaryPolish
  • ślimak śródziemnomorskiPolish
  • CaracoletaPortuguese
  • Melc de grădinăRomanian
  • Улитка крапчатаяRussian
  • slimákovec jarabýSlovak
  • Баштенски пужSerbian
  • Baštenski pužSerbian
  • fläckig vinbergssnäckaSwedish
  • Esmer SalyangozTurkish
  • Bahçe SalyangozuTurkish
  • Равлик крапчастийUkrainian
  • 散斑角蝸牛Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidata

Relatives of the garden snail

Other species in the same genus Cornu.

CompareGarden snail vs Cornu cephalaeditanaGarden snail vs Cornu cretenseGarden snail vs Cornu insolidaGarden snail vs Cornu mazzullii

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the garden snail?

The garden snail is a mollusc in the snails and slugs group. It belongs to the class Gastropoda and the family Helicidae.

What is the scientific name of the garden snail?

The scientific name of the garden snail is Cornu aspersum, placing it in the genus Cornu.

Who named Cornu aspersum and when?

The authority for Cornu aspersum is (O. F. Müller, 1774).

What other names does the garden snail have?

Other English names for the garden snail are Brown gardensnail, Speckled escargot, Brown garden snail, Common garden snail and European brown snail.

What family does the garden snail belong to?

The garden snail belongs to the family Helicidae, within the subfamily Helicinae and the tribe Thebini.

What phylum is the garden snail in?

The garden snail is in the phylum Mollusca, within the kingdom Animalia.

Is the garden snail an invasive species?

In some places. The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species flags the garden snail as invasive in 9 countries, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark and France. It lists it as introduced in 37 in all.

What eats the garden snail?

Animals recorded preying on the garden snail include song thrush, drilus flavescens and eurasian magpie. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Garden snail (Cornu aspersum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/garden-snail

MLA

“Garden snail (Cornu aspersum).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/garden-snail.

BibTeX
@misc{garden_snail_2026,
  title = {Garden snail (Cornu aspersum)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/garden-snail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}