Faucet snails are small animals with coiled spiral shells. They grow up to a half inch long and are longer than they are wide. They are light brown to black, with four to five coils (whorls) in the shell. The shell opening is on the right when the shell is pointed up. They have an operculum (”trapdoor”) that covers the opening, with concentric rings that resemble a bullseye. The operculum may be missing when the snail is dead and the shell is empty. Faucet snails can be difficult for non-specialists to conclusively identify.