Snails in a Venice fish market

Following June Chatfield's note on the National Escargot Day in Mollusc World 24, I thought that members  might like these photos that I took in 2006 in the fish market in Venice. Several of the stalls had bins of live escargots – mostly Theba pisana but with some Eobania vermiculata and possibly other species mixed in.

It was really quite amusing: fish lie dead on the slab but the snails were intent on escape.  The stall holders were constantly recapturing them on their way out of the market!