ID needed of ODD looking snail with a snout

[Colts2Broncos]

This is the craziest looking thing I've seen thus far... it has a shell, similar to that of a snail, ON the shell are tubelike arms in a very light purpleis shade, it also has a snout like an elephant. It moves across the glass like a snail but does no cleaning and it moves fast... it made it 36 inches in less than 5 minutes. The pics are the best I can get tonight with the dim lighting. I'm hoping that the verbal description and pics will be helpful...

You can see the snout in this pic, its the circular thing on the left ends of it, it also has what look like antennae.

This is the bottom of the 'thing' that gives the best view of the hairy armlike things covering it's shell.

In the time it took to upload these pics and type this it has made it around the tank with is 36" x 18"

 

[Colts2Broncos]

A side shot for possible help by shape ID...

 

[RCKY]

Check out pictures of abalones.

 

[Colts2Broncos]

Could it possibly be our long lost cowrie?

 

[rssjsb]

It sure looks like a cowrie to me. When they're out and about, the mantle is expanded to cover the shell - that's what you're seeing in the tank. When the mantle is retracted, you see the shiny shell underneath. I've got a money cowrie that comes out at night and looks like the picture you've posted. During he day, it sleeps in a barnacle and that's the only time I can see the shell.

 

[Colts2Broncos]

So the mantle actually retracts?? I honestly thought it was gone forever. We haven't seen him in months but it's good to know he is still in there. And I learned something in the process

 

[pagojoe]

Yes, those are papillae on the mantle that makes the shell look fuzzy. If you touch it on the back, it will withdraw the mantle and you should be able to see the shell. I don't recognize the cowry with its mantle extended. What kind of cowry did you put in the tank?


Don

 

[Colts2Broncos]

Truth... I don't know. We bought a bunch of snails that day and the LFS just had them marked "cowrie". How sad is that? Could you tell from looking at the shell, because they matched and I still have the empty shell from the one that didn't make it...

 

[pagojoe]

Yep, if they were the same kind.

 

[Colts2Broncos]

They were. I'll dig the shell out in the morning and take a picture...

 

[pagojoe]

k. It may be Cypraea annulus, but if it is, it's the lightest-colored and fluffiest one I've ever seen.

 

[fishy.22]

Very cool pics!
Joe, where did you get the cowries that you keep? I have been looking for them and only seen the money cowrie, "cowrie", and tiger cowries for sale.

 

[Betta132]

Ooh, cool! A cowrie! A really fuzzly cowrie. Hope the little guy does well! How big is he?

 

[pagojoe]

I caught them, Fishy. About 70 different species at various times. Nowhere near that many are normally available in the aquarium trade, though.

Don