Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / Snails, slugs and worms
Sticker of Cuban brown snail
Bug card No. 1251 of 4,939

Cuban brown snail

Zachrysia provisoria
Eats: PlantsSnails, slugs and wormsGardens and meadowsNo legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The Cuban brown snail is a land snail with a round, smooth and shiny shell. The shell is a rich dark tan, sometimes with light brown streaks. It comes from Cuba but has spread to many Caribbean islands and to Florida.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
Cuba, many Caribbean islands and Florida
Length
2.5 to 3 cm (0.98 to 1.2 in)
the width of the shell
Top speed
about 0.03 km/h (0.02 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless to people. Wash your hands after touching snails.
What does it eat?
It eats many kinds of plants, such as bougainvillea, citrus, mango and star fruit. It can even scrape the bark off young plants.
For real!Photo of Cuban brown snail
Picture by PalauanReich. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Cuban brown snail about 3 cm long (1.2 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
as long as 5 grains of rice in a rowneeds 2 minutes to cross a dinner table

How big is Cuban brown snail compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Older shells fade to a yellowish brown.

2

It loves damp, shady places and hides in fallen leaves, among shrubs and around rocks.

3

It can live in forests and even in the mountains, as long as it is damp enough.

4

Farmers worry about it because it can damage so many crops and garden plants.

you asked

Most asked questions about Cuban brown snail

?Is the Cuban brown snail a pest?

Yes. It eats many crops and garden plants, so it is a worry for farmers in Florida.

?How big is the Cuban brown snail?

Its shell is about 2.5 to 3 centimetres wide.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Zachrysia provisoria
Group
Snails, slugs and worms
Family
Zachrysiidae
Classification
Gastropoda > Stylommatophora > Zachrysiidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Zachrysia provisoria (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by PalauanReich. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Snails, slugs and worms

Garden snailSnails, slugs and wormsGiant African land snailSnails, slugs and wormsLeopard slugSnails, slugs and wormsBladder snailSnails, slugs and wormsMedicinal leechSnails, slugs and wormsCommon earthwormSnails, slugs and worms

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Perennial mason waspWasps and hornetsDouble-banded plushbackFlies and mosquitoesFour-lined hornet flyFlies and mosquitoesFour-spotted tree cricketGrasshoppers and cricketsBox elder gall midgeFlies and mosquitoesRed-shanked grasshopperGrasshoppers and crickets
Honey jarfor grown-ups