What are some of the common enemies of a Snastle? And / or what precautions do residents need to adhere to (like not wearing shoes into a national park due to diseases etc?)
Ooooh cool question Kiz, this is my jam <3
Abiotic factors ~
Salt: Snailiths cannot do salt, even brackish water gets them super worked up, and you’ll never get them anywhere near seawater. Law in Clan Snastle is no salt except in food seasoning quantities.
Desiccation: They can store a great deal of moisture in their bodies and sometimes use thier shells for reserves depending on shell structure. They really need that to make slime to help prevent them from drying out and for defense (see below)
Heat: Mostly because it often aids in drying out. Humid heat is fine, but it does speed metabolic function, because Snailiths are poikilothermic, meaning that they don’t maintain a set body temperature, it varies with the outside temp, like frogs. This means that the speed at which they can perform metabolic functions and actually grow is relative to the ambient temperature. If a Snailith wanted to get big fast, it would stay as warm as possible.
pH: Acidity/alkalinity isn’t commonly a huge problem but any Snailith will give active volcanic zones a wide berth because with such soft bodies, acids/bases can burn so easily.
Depending on the shell design, a Snailith may be able to retreat fully into the shell for defense or not. It varies between individuals and usually reflects how safe they are with their partner species.
Predation/parasitism ~
Bugs and small bitey creatures aren’t a huge problem for a well-hydrated Snailith because they can flood them out with slime, even if they get through the initial slime coating. But if dried out, they are just like any other snail on the sidewalk on a hot day. The ants will come, ans Snailiths fear that greatly.
They are basically a huge, slow moving hunk of gastropod meat. Things totally want to eat that, and that’s why there’s such a focus on each Snailith establishing a partner species. They are basically a huge prey organism, so they need to use their intelligence to establish a community in which they are protected from predators.
Aside from the old ‘exude slime from my body so things dont touch me’, Snailiths can make two other kinds of slime specifically for defense (and two others for construction), one of which is highly contact-toxic once oxidized (its activated by exposure to air so it doesn’t hurt the Snailith) and causes an awful burning sensation in small/dilute quantities and death in high/strong quantities. They can dilute the toxin with regular slime as a ‘warning shot’ or deterrent. The other type of slime is very thick and sticky, and kills by suffocation usually. Even if the creature manages to keep their breathing parts out of it, it acts like a glue trap. It’s a main defence against flying creatures as it can be sprayed out like disgusting silly string to tangle up and kill airborne predators.
Parasitism isn’t a huge problem, the only real parasites on Sornieth that can cause real trouble are species on internal worm that can be ingested along with vegetation. But unlike regular snails, Snailiths can self-treat by ingesting plants with toxic/medicinal qualities and kill off any infection.
Disease:
Not a huge issue, slime is a great barrier to most pathogens. They do breathe through spiracles and are a little sensitive to airborne irritants, so they aren’t a fan of smoky forest fires etc.
Snastle, at least, tends do avoid Plague territory, but she says that’s because the soil there tastes disgusting. That many pathogens in high concentration can’t be great for your internal microbiome either tbh. The downside of having an absorbent body and sensing tentacles close to the ground, I guess.
As far as precautions to take if you’re hanging out with a Snailith:
Be careful with salt and acidic foods.
Don’t eat snails.
If you say anything about Larails being a snail in front of them, prepare for a mildly offended discourse. (personally I adore larails, but Snailiths see them as a super inferior species to even the common garden snails, which they refer to as ‘little siblings’)
Don’t bring up that a good-sized Snailith has probably munched down countless snails when grazing on wild plants. They know, trust me, but it’s one of those unspoken necessities that's super rude to talk about, it’s like asking a stranger if she’s pregnant, you’ll get slimed for sure.
Petting/touching is great with permission, beware that tentacles are sensitive, poking extended eye-stalks is a huge no-no, the ‘underbelly’ area is ticklish and make sure you don’t dry them out with petting, pet through the slime.
Snailiths do their best to speak draconic despite not having vocal cords. They are trying really hard, but they really can’t go much louder than a size-relevant whisper, so be considerate.
Snailiths are joined to their shell by a thick mass of muscles adhered to the inside. They can’t feel the shell like a turtle can, there’s no nerves in it, but they will sense any vibrations. Late night dance parties will keep a snail castle awake.