10 surprising facts about snails
written last May 2023
One.
60,000 species,
20,000 pieces of microscopic teeth.
5 times stronger
than spider silk,
turning carbon
into diamond.
tiny but stronger
than they seem.
the world has a population
of 8 billion people
113 million are Filipinos
42,026 barangays,
15 hundred municipalities,
150 languages and dialects,
113 cities,
81 provinces,
17 regions,
3 islands,
1 independent country.
yet they have the audacity
to call us
small.
Two.
snails are
not mammals,
nor fishes,
nor reptiles,
nor amphibians.
nor insects.
they are mollusks
and gastropods.
somehow,
trying and failing
to fit in a label,
to belong to a group
they are proud to call their own.
how many times do
we have to find our place?
are we called
Latinos and Latinas
because of Spanish colonization?
are we Pacific Islanders
because of our location?
we are Asians,
but does the world acknowledge this?
We are Filipinos.
We are Filipinos.
We are Filipinos.
this is who we are.
Three.
Some snails are handpicked
to race
for human entertainment,
for humor’s sake.
to be betted and laughed off,
to be called out and mocked
by spectators of the sport.
How long
will we become
a laughingstock of the world,
a word of warning to other countries,
of how we have forgotten
the history of a dictator
who killed for humor’s sake,
and decided
an incompetent son should lead.
how many more farmers
should suffer?
how many more indigenous groups
should flee from their homes?
how many more innocent lives
will be killed?
how many more jobs
will be lost?
how many more families
will lose their homes?
All because of
a humorous reason,
“To protect and rebrand the family reputation.”
Four.
snails are born
with their shells.
they have the same one
all throughout their life.
and it grows with them
as they age.
forever on their backs,
never letting up.
we were told,
“work hard,
grow out of your shell.
have a better life.
stop being lazy.
and then
you will make it out.”
at least,
that’s what they say.
while they stand on the side,
while we get double jobs
trying to make ends meet.
they advise us
in meaningless vices
as we struggle
to provide for families and siblings.
the rich offer support,
while we live
from paycheck to paycheck.
we live in the same houses,
trying to stay afloat,
too busy surviving
to see what could be
and what could have been.
Five.
Snails
either
have gills or lungs.
they don’t feel any pain.
hear the scientists marvel,
“look how they evolved!
surviving in such different
and contrasting conditions!
to have different species
live in different worlds,
and still survive.
how resilient must snails be!”
but we are tired
of being resilient.
how many more
homes will be lost
behind every photo that praises
the resiliency of the Filipinos?
how many more
lives will be sacrificed
behind the smiles of a person
who went viral despite their suffering.
resiliency is tiring.
and unlike snails,
we feel pain behind
every “resilient” pose.
Six.
Snails can lay over 100 eggs
in one clutch.
200,000 infants are born every year,
and the mothers
are of questionable age
when statistics are not numbers
but lives lived and outlived,
you can’t help but wonder
if teenage pregnancy
and poverty
can be out-educated
Seven.
it takes 33.33 hours
for a snail to get mail
and that is observed
when with intense focus.
the frustrating progress of our country
makes me doubt
if all of this is worth
fighting for.
despite moving forward
it felt like 6 steps back.
corruptions get more corrupt,
bribes receive more bribes,
deaths and people become
collateral damage,
statistics,
and “lesson learned.”
Eight.
some snails can see
but cannot hear.
they see
the hand-holding
and the tears of joy
and the shouts of victory that they won.
but fall deaf
to the cries
of those whose justice was lost,
and the shrieks of the lives
slaughtered to pave their way.
they see red
as colors of victory and celebration.
they failed to hear
the bloodshed of the people
who fought before and for us.
Nine.
snails can be found
everywhere on earth.
with each Filipino trying
to find a way out
to make their life
a little bit better,
a little more peaceful,
and one day get away
from the shell
and survive what they once thought
was their unchangeable fate.
we may be “small,”
but we are still here.
Ten.
a snail can take down
a starfish.
the crown-of-thorns starfish:
a threat to the homes
of fish and corals
But defeated by a snail —
a snail that can paralyze a starfish,
a prey that can defeat a predator,
an underdog that can stop destruction.
if only we knew,
the power we have
to paralyze governments,
to defeat presidents
all unfit for their role,
and to stop the predators
taking over positions
only for money’s sake.
Ten surprising facts
on a species overlooked.Ten insurmountable woes
of a people left on their own.Ten realizations
of a nation waiting on hope.Ten pieces of revelations
in a country begging for change.
Links and Sources:
50 Cool Snail Facts That You Didn’t Know Until Now
Philippine Statistics Authority | Republic of the Philippines (psa.gov.ph)
16 Fast Facts About Snails | Mental Floss
Adolescent Pregnancy in the Philippines: 2016–2020 | Philippine Statistics Authority (psa.gov.ph)
Sea snails could save Great Barrier Reef from starfish — BBC News
