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Story: Snails and slugs

Land mollusc families

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Land mollusc families

About 80 families of land mollusca (slugs and snails) are known worldwide, but only 11 are native to New Zealand. These families are not common in the northern hemisphere, but probably originated from the Gondwana supercontinent.

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How to cite this page

Paddy Ryan, Snails and slugs – New Zealand land molluscs, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/12850/land-mollusc-families (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Paddy Ryan, published 1 March 2009.