Well, that’s not entirely true.

Here’s the thing: snails are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female sex organs. This means they can technically reproduce on their own, but they need help with the fertilization of their eggs. This is where the mating comes in.

This hermaphroditic species still needs to do the deed in order to get their eggs to hatch. What’s interesting about this is the battle that goes on between two of them as they decide who gives the semen and who receives.

In general, the healthier of the two in this relationship will be the giver of semen as they don’t want weak or sick semen becoming a daddy to their tribe. However, until we can communicate with these magical creatures, we’ll never know all the details of this negotiation.

Here’s another interesting tidbit to note: their mating rituals last from one to three hours. It turns out they do everything slowly!