Yellow Spotted Giant Sulawesi Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania Patriarchalis), BREDBY: AQUATIC ARTS

Yellow Spotted Giant Sulawesi Rabbit Snails (Tylomelania patriarchalis) are one of the rarest snails in the aquarium hobby.  Also known as Elephant Snails, their natural habitat is in Indonesia and they are only rarely seen in the United States.  The “Rabbit” name likely comes from their rabbit-like faces and drooping antennae that resemble a rabbit’s ears.  However, the resemblance to an elephant is also clear with their wrinkled, rubbery-looking skin and their long “snouts” (which is functionally more like the snail’s foot).  Needless to say, these snails are certainly unique in appearance in several aspects!

 

Yellow Spotted Giant Sulawesi Snails possess black bodies with a striking yellow-spotted pattern, and their shells range from bronze to very dark brown, which fades into or is accented by a creamy white color on some specimens.  Their shells are long and spiral-shaped and taper toward a point at the end, which makes the shell resemble unicorn’s horn in shape.  These snails seem curious by nature, and each snail uses its elongated, muscular “foot” to pull itself around on the glass and aquarium decor.  This is a very striking snail and is sure to impress viewers, almost all of which will have never seen one before.

 

Yellow Spotted Giant Sulawesi Snails are some of the largest freshwater snails in the world, growing as large as 4 inches as adults.  Since they can grow so large, they need room to move, so  it’s a good idea to avoid dense vegetation or overcrowding in your aquarium.  They are decent algae-eaters, but they also feed on leftover food and any kind of fish food.  While most aquatic plants are safe from these snails, they have been known to munch on more delicate or thin-leaved plants.

 

Most specimens sold in the hobby today are wild-caught, contributing to their already declining wild population. Breeding these snails is not particularly difficult, but they reproduce and grow very slowly. We care about the long-term conservation of this majestic snail, so we decided to tackle the challenge of large scale breeding in captivity.