Flax snail  (Placostylus ambagiosus)

These nocturnal snails hide in the leaf litter during the day and come out at night to feed on fallen leaves (4).

Mating in flax snails appears to be triggered by rainfall and probably occurs every year, except in periods of drought. These snails may mate several times with several different partners. In a different flax snail species, egg-laying has been observed between November and February, with 20 to 30 eggs laid in a shallow nest in loose earth. Nests containing 30 or more eggs are thought to be the result of more than one snail laying in the same nest (6). While adult flax snails tend to stay in and around a relatively small area, the juveniles disperse widely (7). These flax snails reach maturity at three to five years of age and may live for over 20 years (6).