User:GrillinBubbles/Snail slime

Lead
Snail slime (mucopolysaccharide) is a kind of mucus (an external bodily secretion) produced by snails, which are gastropod mollusks. Both terrestrial Land snails, and slugs produce mucus, as does every other kind of gastropod, from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. The mucus or slime produced is essential to gastropod life, as it helps with locomotion, reproduction, and can be used medically and cosmetically. The reproductive system of gastropods also produces mucus internally from special glands.

Externally, one kind of mucus is produced by the foot of the gastropod and is usually used for crawling. The other kind of external mucus has evolved to coat the external parts of the gastropod's body; in land species, this coating helps prevent desiccation of the exposed soft tissues. The foot mucus of a gastropod has some of the qualities of glue and some of the qualities of a lubricant, allowing land snails to crawl up vertical surfaces without falling off.

The slime trail that a land gastropod leaves behind is often visible as a silvery track on surfaces such as stone or concrete.

Locomotion
Locomotion in snails, comes from a series of muscle contractions called pedal waves, and relaxations called inter waves. The waves created help propel the snail forward whilst pushing the thin layer of mucus used as lubrication, behind them. In an Experimental Biology article, research has been presented showing that each wave is indeed creating a propulsive force using the mucus to reduce resistance.