Moon Snail

M-840 MOON SNAIL, Polinices duplicatus

It has a smooth rounded shell and a greatly expanded foot. It plows a furrow in the sand and engulfs bivalves, which it then drills.

DIET

These predatory snails consume other mollusks and are sometimes cannibalistic. They drill a circular hole in the shell of their prey with hydrochloric acid and other enzymes through an accessory boring organ.

REPRODUCTION

File:Neverita josephina (egg capsule).jpg
© Hans Hillewaert

They sexually reproduce. Female moon snails lay their eggs in a collar-shaped egg case. These collars are made from sand grains adhering to the snail’s mucus.

VIDEOS

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

http://www.loyno.edu/lucec/natural-history-writings/carnivorous-marine-snails