The Hermon snail was spotted Thursday morning by the director of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority Banias Reserve, Ofer Shin’ar.
The Hermon snail, the largest of Israel’s snails, lives in the Nahal Hermon Nature Reserve (Banias), some 1,500 meters above sea level. It has an impressive shell that rises to a height of up to 5 centimeters (1.9 inches) and is also 5 centimeters in diameter.
Its typical habitat is open areas covered with annual herbaceous plants. Due to the enormous size of its shell, it doesn’t climb on plants and shrubs but feeds on plant material that lies on the ground.
The snail’s activity season is short. With the first heavy rains, it comes out of the ground and after about a week mates. When the temperatures drop and reach 0° C (32° F), it digs in and hibernates until next winter.
The hatching of the young snails occurs about three weeks after laying the eggs.