Cornu is from the Latin for "horn" and refers to the garden snail's tentacles or antennae. Aspersum, in Latin, means "sprinkled" and denotes the patterns on its shell. Together the name, in Linnaean classification, places it within its Genus and Species, relating it similar creatures but also differentiating it by its individual appearance. So, its English name would be "speckled horn-bearer." It was called Helix aspersa by Linnaeus himself, drawing attention to its spiralled shell. I secretly prefer that title because the whorls are the garden snail's predominant feature.
"Gosh - is that really all about me? I must be very important indeed."
Cornu aspersum probably originated millions of years ago in the mild climate of the Mediterranean basin but spread rapidly, partly owing to the Roman love of it as a delicacy. It also hitchhiked unseen on produce and can now be found in North America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand - and your back garden.
