Slime is just slime, right? Not if you’re a snail. Scientists have found that snails produce different types of slime depending on their needs.

Why Snails Make Slime

If you’ve ever observed a snail in motion, you may have noticed that it leaves a trail of slime, or mucus, behind. A snail uses a single foot to move. The foot can produce slime to make it easier for the animal to glide its body along any surface.

But that’s just one purpose of a snail’s slime. 

“Snail slime…is fascinating—a natural work of art,” Mariella Gabler told National Public Radio (NPR). Gabler studies physical chemistry at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Germany.

Gabler and other researchers noticed that snails produce slime for different reasons. While slime can make it easier for snails to glide, it can also help them stick to surfaces. Sticky slime can stop snails’ predators in their tracks, too, as long as those predators are small enough.

Researchers also noticed that snail slime doesn’t always look the same. Sometimes it’s gooey, for example, while other times it’s like foam. The researchers wondered whether there are key differences between slime that’s used for one reason and slime that’s used for another.

Not All Slime Is the Same 

Gabler and a team of scientists studied what snail slime is made of. They found that all snail slime contains certain ingredients, including proteins and ions such as calcium. But each type of slime contains different amounts of these ingredients.

“The more collagen and calcium were present, the stiffer, more cohesive and sticky mucus became,” Gabler told NPR.

The findings could help researchers make their own slime for use in medicine. For example, sticky slime could be used to help close wounds.

Scientist Kausik Mukhopadhyay, who wasn’t involved in the snail study, is excited about the findings. 

“Nature is always smarter than us,” Mukhopadhyay told NPR.