shayfish said:
This may sound like a dumb question but... how do you sex mystery snails???!
If 2 are mating the male is on top. Otherwise you look for the penis in the right side of the mantle cavity.
This is from applesnail.net:
How can I see if a have a male or a female apple snail?
A: A relative easy (?) way to determine the sex of an apple snail is by taking the snail out of the water, keep it on it's back and wait until the animal comes out of its shell. At that moment you have to take a look at the upper part of the right mantle cavity. Close to the edge of the shell, you can see the penis sheath starting (take a look at the anatomy to get an idea where to look for).
Some experience might be needed for this, but once you have seen the difference between the male and the female snail you'll find it less difficult to determine the sex of an apple in the future.
Another option is to wait until the snail copulate. When they're mating, the male snail creeps on the shell of the female and puts his penis in her. At that point you know that the one on top is the male and the other is the female.
The third way to differentiate the sexes is based on the fact that male snail have a rounder shell opening (aperture). In the case you are the lucky owner of several apple snails, you can compare the aperture height/width to determine the sexes of your snails.
There also is a fourth way: killing the animal and having a look at the inside. But I guess you prefer to keep your snails alive.
