Mystery Holes - Species.com

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TOPIC: Mystery Holes

Dj Quiva

«©†The BOZZLED One«©†

Status: Offline

Posts: 910

Date: Jan 10, 2009

Mystery Holes	Permalink

Source Source Ever wander the beach, find the perfect shell, and flip it over only to find that there is a perfect little hole drilled into it? I've had it happen dozens of times. I always wondered what caused it, but for some reason assumed that the mystery holes formed postmortem. Enter the moon snail. These large snails cruise the sandy foam of the shoreline and tidal pools in search of their prey: clams, mussels, etc. If it's got a shell, it's food. They're like gastropod bulldozers with one mission in mind: a seafood dinner. They look too big for their shells, don't they? That's because when they come across a less mobile clam, they envelop it with their over-sized mantle and go to work drilling their way through the shell while the clam lies there helpless. Source They do so with a raspy tongue (radula) that scrapes a perfect hole in the shell (aided by secreted chemicals). Once they've made their way through the shell, they proceed to dine. It's a slow process, but snails are patient (more snail wisdom to come in future posts). There are lots of ways to die in the ocean. This one seems like one of the less pleasant ones. Think the snail won't fit inside the shell? Just pick one up and start poking it. It will shed water like a little sprinkler system until it fits inside. Go on. I dare you. Be sure to video it. Source -- Edited by Dj_Rubbut at 19:23, 2009-01-10 __________________

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