Can snails turn themselves right side up if they land on their backs?

[hnf2k]

my snails seem to die on their backs. through years of evolution they cant turn themselves upright? not even my hugh snail could. luckily i saw it a flipped it over. it would piss me off to have a 30 dollar snail die. how long can they live on their backs? how do they always fall and end up on their backs? why cant they flip themselves?

 

[fishyone]

Haven't actually experienced it yet but have been told by many if your snails get on their backs they will die. It makes sense if they can't get anything in contact with something heavier than than the sand if at all they wouldn't be able to flip over, but as I have said haven't seen for myself as I flip them over just to be safe.

 

[nacl-h2o]

I read that it was astrea's that couldn't right themselves. I've seen margarttas, ceriths, bumble bees and nessarious flip themselves.

 

[bhav_88]

Scientifically speaking, I think that only the sand dwelling or open area snails can't upright themselves, as they never fall over in their natural habitat. The glass cleaning snails, basically the "rock" snails, can upright themselves. The ones that can't never have need to do so, but in the reef tank they can land on their backs.

 

[dburr]

Bhav-
My nassuriss live in sand and can flip- my astrea are always on the glass and can't flip. You may have that backwards or I read it wrong.

 

[bhav_88]

Yeah, I may have it backwards... I didn't actually look it UP... What, you want me to do WORK?

 

[heavenly damsel]

The astrea snails actually drown if they fall upside down onto the sand. Kind of blows the theory of evolution doesn't it?

 

[buzz]

Lost one myself that way...
I've turned a few others over before they died too...
So...they actually drown, huh? Interesting...

 

[surfnturf]

I lost two turbos this way, after that I gave up on them. I've got dwarf zebra hermits that keep the nuisance algae down on the LR & substrate, and some hitchhiker cap snails that keep the glass pretty clean. Those turbos really didn't seem to do much anyway.