2007-07-01 01:12:10 · 10 answers · asked by sleepy 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
The effect of the snails or slugs shrivelling up is caused by osmosis, the movement of water down a concentration gradient through a partly permeable membrane.
In short, what water does is that it moves from non-concentrated (not salty) areas to concentrated (salty) areas. This is very important in biology.
The water inside the snail or slug moves out of the snail or slug, because of the high concentration outside.
2007-07-01 01:17:52 · answer #1 · answered by Akuwizard 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's the same reason why if you badly scrape all the skin off your knee and pour salt all over it you will feel more than a little pain.
Basically slugs and snails lack waterproof skin so the dry salt absorbs all their bodily fluids by the process of osmosis. Litterally it is killing them by causing major damage to the cells of their body through extreme dessication.
If there was a weapon that could do this to humans it would be banned by the Geneva convention.
2007-07-02 03:45:44 · answer #2 · answered by monkeymanelvis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The salt dehydrates them. They quite literally can't breathe unless their skins are moist. And believe me, for a critter like a slug, dehydration is painful!
2007-07-01 08:15:05 · answer #3 · answered by Tigger 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The slugs shrivel up because the salt dehydrates their bodies.
2007-07-01 08:21:54 · answer #4 · answered by Diane 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because snails and slugs are moist and salt can dehydrate them.
also, salt is slightly acidic
2007-07-01 08:15:35 · answer #5 · answered by lethaldriver 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
De-hydration! Its SO cruel to do that to a living creature! I dont like them but a better way to go is to drown them in beer, better still egg shells, they wont cross them
2007-07-02 13:43:58 · answer #6 · answered by trish 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't like salt because it kills them. It's like asking why you don't like being shot in the heart
2007-07-01 08:19:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because they are made of of mostly water and salt absorbs water.
2007-07-01 08:15:14 · answer #8 · answered by tigittytigitty 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Aren't you afraid PETA will get you put on TV for that question LOL
2007-07-01 11:04:33 · answer #9 · answered by Rob A 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You SNAIL slayer, you shuld get arrested and locked away!!!!
2007-07-01 08:20:07 · answer #10 · answered by puffcandy007 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋