Why don't slugs have a shell?

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If you've ever seen a slug inching along the sidewalk, you've probably thought it looked like a snail who lost his shell! Is a slug just a snail with no shell??
 
Even though snails and slugs are similar creatures, snails cannot leave their shells (the shell is a part of its body), and so a slug is a different creature altogether, and not just a shell-less snail.

Have you ever learned about why a snail has a shell? One of the biggest benefits of the shell is that it gives these delicate, squishy critters some added protection and safety. So how can it be beneficial to a slug to be without this protection?

There are several reasons why slugs don’t have shells. One big reason is that slugs mostly like in the ground. Having a shell would make it hard for them to tunnel and dig! Another benefit is that slugs have an easier time finding food than their shelled snail cousins: Snails have to live only in places where they can find and eat a lot of calcium to help them maintain their hard shells. Slugs, who don’t have this concern, can live in different places and eat different things!

Some slugs do have a very basic type of “shell,” but it’s not as developed as that of a snail.

Shell Station

Can you think of any other advantages slugs might get from being shell-free? For example, some slugs might be able to move a little faster by not having the added weight of a shell! What other ideas can you think of? If you had to choose, would you rather be a shelled snail or an unshelled slug? Why??