Giant Voyager Snail
The Giant Voyager Snail appears to look and act like any other regular land snail with a few differences. Perhaps the most noticeable difference is its size. While most normal snails can fit into your hand, this particular species can grow to the size of a horse and some are even rumored to grow to the size of a small house. And while they are still very slow moving, they can move their neck and heads around rather quickly, and their sharp, toothed tongue and radula can do painful damage to the unarmored who get too close.
What truly makes this snail unique is not just its size, but also how it got the second part of its name, "Voyager". When the snail is surprised or distressed it can immediately teleport itself to another location. This teleportation ability appears to be limited to the snails line of sight. Due to the height of the snails eyes, especially after stretching its head and eye stalks, this distance can be 100's or even 1000's of feet away. The limit that can be traveled and the number of times that it can teleport per day is currently unknown and requires further research.
Basic Information
Anatomy
This creature resembles the typical species of snails that can be found crawling along the ground or shorelines. It consists of mainly a long muscular foot with a head, mouth, and eye stalks at one end and carries a hard, whorled, protective shell on its back.
Genetics and Reproduction
While these snails are hermaphroditic and produce their own cloned offspring, they will almost always find a mate to exchange genetic materials with. These snails will deposit up to 100 smooth, round, white eggs in a small damp burrow. The eggs are typically laid just before the colder, dry season and will hatch a few months later at the beginning of the warmer, wet season.
Growth Rate & Stages
Immediately after hatching, the baby snails are able to feed and move on their own. Under certain conditions the snails will make a quick meal of any undeveloped sibling eggs. Although they are slow growers, they do reach an impressive size and are sexually mature at twenty years.
Ecology and Habitats
This species can usually be found in any damp, warm environment from tropical jungles to temperate forests. Here it feeds on both live and decaying leaves and plant remains.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Favorite meals of this snail include a variety of large green leaves, green stalks, ferns, grasses, algae, and decomposing plant remains. In desperate times they have been known to feed on decomposing animal as well. Additionally, for some unknown reason, rare individuals have gone rogue and have been reported to actively hunt and eat creatures smaller than themselves. These rare specimens are rumored to take on a reddish hue to both their shells and bodies.
Biological Cycle
As environmental conditions change the snail will usually hibernate to avoid the climatic stresses. As the seasons begin to dry and become cooler, the food supply also dwindles, and the amount of sunlight changes as well. The photo receptors in the eye stalks begin to register decreasing sunlight, and once a threshold is reached it triggers a hibernation response in the snails brain. The snail will burrow beneath the ground and hibernate during the cold dry season and reemerge during the wet season.
Additional Information
Social Structure
These snails are usually solitary creatures that do not associate with one another unless mating or finding food.
Domestication
While several attempts have been made to domesticate these animals, none are known to have succeeded as of yet.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
These rare creatures have several uses, the most common being as an easy and large supply of food. Cosmetics, skin creams, and healing potions also use parts of the snail. Perhaps the most sought after use is that of using the liquids in the slimy, mucous glands as a magical writing ink.
The Giant Voyager Snail mucous is a key component used in the manufacture of magical writing ink. Although the liquid is clear, it can easily be colored and does not fade over time. With the processing system now well established in Cargol City, this preslime liquid has recently become the 3rd most sought after type of ink, ranking just behind squid and octopus, and ahead of mushroom ink.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Although very rare, these snails can usually be found in tropical jungle settings or any warm and wet environment. In particular, the Sneglen Leaf Forest near Cargol City is known to have several of these snails.
Average Intelligence
These are very low intelligence creatures that are mainly driven by the urge to find food and water. Although a few have tried to domesticate and train these animals, there has not been much success as of yet.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
These snails can see from atop their elongated eye stalks, smell and taste from their short, lower jaw tentacles, and feel through their skin, particularly ground vibrations from their long foot. However, they have no ears and cannot hear.
Scientific Name
Cochlea Navigare
Lifespan
The lifespan of this species is unknown, but several have been reported to live for over 100 years.
Conservation Status
This species is extremely rare and thought to be endangered, however there is no official conservation status or programs related to this species outside of Cargol City.
Average Height
Heights are typically around 5 feet tall with the potential for older snails to reach heights of 10 feet or even more for the oldest of snails.
Average Length
Lengths are typically around 10 feet long with the potential for older snails to reach lengths of 20 feet or even more for the oldest of snails.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
These snails mainly come in a variety of earth tone shades of browns and greys with darker colors on top and lighter colors on the bottom. Their bellies are a stark white in contrast to their upper colors. Rumors suggest that there are even black, orange, and red variants roaming the forests.
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