Incredible video reveals giant fist-sized snail with 6000 teeth feasting on earthworms 'like spaghetti'

Snails come across as Earth's more innocuous creatures, but new footage captured in New Zealand could change the way you look at the slow-moving mollusks forever.

A captivating new video from BBC Earth's Wild New Zealand reveals an up-close look at the "revolting table manners" of the Powelliphanta snail - a creature with 6000 teeth and which that can grow to the size of a human fist, the Daily Mail reports.

In just a matter of seconds, the snail transforms from a seemingly innocent inhabitant of the forest floor to a "voracious predator", as it suffocates an earthworm and slurps it down like spaghetti.

Powelliphanta is a genus of carnivorous land snails known to range from "microscopic to massive", according to New Zealand's Department of Conservation.

Some species can grow several centimetres long, weighing in as the "sumo wrestlers of the snail world".

Giant snails are incredibly difficult to spot in the New Zealand forests and grasslands, where they are native, but the new video gives a rare glimpse at their bizarre eating habits.

"When the air itself becomes saturated, and the temperature is just right, rare giants emerge," the video from BBC Earth explains.

"The Powelliphanta snail; it can grow to the size of a man's fist.

"So rare, they can only be filmed in captivity, where their extraordinary behaviour is revealed."

The video shows the snail gliding through the darkness across wet vegetation.
And then, its prey is revealed.

The snail's pursuit of the earthworm may be slow, but the moment it goes in for its kill takes place in the blink of an eye.

With surprising agility, the snail sucks the worm into its mouth, folding it in half in an instant to devour its prey whole.

"It's still a mystery as to exactly how they track down their food," the video explains.

"But, one thing is for sure - this snail has unusual tastes, and revolting table manners.

"Its mouth envelopes and suffocates the earthworm. It's sucked down like spaghetti."

These snails don't just eat worms.

According to the Department of Conservation, they also feast on larger creatures, such as slugs.

And, they've got a terrifying array of chompers to handle the challenge.

"For anything bigger, it's got 6000 teeth ready to shred the next meal," the video notes.

"In the super-saturated environment, this specialised snail is the ultimate predator."