Life Habits
Species in the genus Powelliphanta are carnivorous and eat mostly earthworms or slugs. They are nocturnal. They need moist surroundings and thus they live buried under leaf mould and logs.
They can live for 20 years or more and are slow to mature, reaching sexual maturity around 5 years of age. They are hermaphrodites, having both male and female characteristics. They lay 5 to 10 large eggs a year.
Powelliphanta uses a rudimentary radula to devour its prey. The radula is like a belt of teeth, which scrapes chunks of flesh into the oesophagus. Far from being ingested whole, its prey are subjected to prolonged radulation.
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