Snails Find Their Way Home by Following Old Trails, Researchers Say

For years, gardeners have noticed that snails seem to return to the same resting spots: a particular stone, the underside of a particular pot. A new study from the garden’s informal research society suggests how.

Snails leave a trail of mucus wherever they go. That trail helps them move, sealing over rough ground and reducing friction. According to the society’s observers, it may also work as a map. Snails crossing an old trail were seen to turn and follow it more often than chance would suggest.

“It’s not a perfect system,” one observer said. “Sometimes they follow the wrong trail and end up at someone else’s house. But it gets most of them home most of the time.”

The society said it planned to keep watching through the winter, when most snails seal themselves into their shells and stop moving for a while, which observers called “a welcome break for everyone.”