html> Sarabellum: Wet and Salty

Moon Snail
(Lunatia heros)
Oh, no!!! It's eating my hand!!!

First of all, doesn't that picture kick ass? Nothing like distorted children from another decade to introduce you to moon snails. OK, now back to the science...these snails are very common in New England. In the moist sand that's exposed at low tide, sometimes you can see large mounds. These are formed as the snail burrows under the surface with its very powerful foot. They eat clams, grabbing them with their big foot, and drilling into them with their radula, a toothy tongue-like organ. If you ever find a shell with a perfectly round hole in it,that's probably from a moon snail. They also lay their eggs in collars of sand stuck together by mucus. Parts of these collars can occasionally be found on the beach.

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