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Story: Snails and slugs

Powelliphanta life cycle

Video file

Watch a video showing two parts of the life cycle of giant Powelliphanta snails. They lay hard-shelled eggs that take several months to hatch. Powelliphanta are carnivorous, and actively hunt and eat worms.

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Natural History New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Paddy Ryan, Snails and slugs – Flax snails, giant snails and veined slugs, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/12860/powelliphanta-life-cycle (accessed 14 June 2026).

Story by Paddy Ryan, published 1 March 2009.