my Moon Snails (Naticidae) a common predatory snail species

[hotelbravo]

I went out in search of these snails locally collected off the gulf. I had been asked to find some of these for a few people who were wanting to setup a tank with predatory snails. with a simple permit collection was legal but i am not allowed to sell them so the intent was to gift them to my two buddies who were wanting them and i will keep 4-5 for myself.

They are predatory towards other snails not usually of their own species but will in times of starvation turn cannibalistic. they also eat scallops, clams, mussels and others similar critters by attaching themselves to the preys shell and boring a hole in their shell like a drill and sucking out all the meat. ive been feeding them chopped up raw scallop in my sump. they live mostly in substrate and can dig at a great depth in search of their prey.

 

[Calappidae]

Cool!

Do their insides cover the entire outer shell like a cowie?

 

[hotelbravo]

yes they do. they have such a large body so that they can completely encase their prey to allow for easier drilling into their shell. they secrete an acid to weaken the spot they are boring into

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Pretty cool!

 

[sam.basye]

They are nasty snails...
I've caught a few before and they can secrete a clear mucus that will cover e v e r y t h i n g. Like clear snot everywhere!

Keep at your own risk.

 

[hotelbravo]

They are nasty snails...
I've caught a few before and they can secrete a clear mucus that will cover e v e r y t h i n g. Like clear snot everywhere!

Keep at your own risk.

i originally caught one a few months ago and it was eaten by a whelk sometime last week but its never secreted any clear mucus as far as i can tell. then it again it was just 1.. now that i have quite a few of them maybe i will see this "mucus" but so far still nothing.

 

[sam.basye]

That's good, maybe they only do it for me. Lol the most recent moon snail I caught was a few months ago in Charleston, SC. Had the snail, some small hermits, some chaeto-like seaweed and a few tiny bait fish in a 2 liter pitcher with air pump. When I got back home, everything in the pitcher was coated in the clear 'snot-like' secretion from the snail. (This is the second time one did this to me). They are pretty so I fall for it each time. Lol

Do yours leave a 'residue trail' behind them?

Fun fact, not sure if you got any, but if you find one with a rubbery skirt around it, that isn't the body, the 'skirt' is an egg mass.

Hope they work out for you and your friends! Keep us posted on their behavior.

 

[Umbra]

Those look pretty neat. It's a shame you can't sell them though!

 

[Shawn O]

I found one alive on the shore near Boston a couple weeks ago that was about the size of a golf ball, maybe a hair larger. It's "foot" was about 4-5" long. It was the fastest snail I've ever seen, crossing the length of my 55 in about 6 seconds. Quite comical when it would climb the glass to the top of the tank and then fall off, floating to the bottom and landing upside down. Amazing to see it use it's foot to right itself. Tossed a clam and an oyster into the tank to see it if would eat it. Didn't touch either, nor did it eat any of my other snails. It did leave a bit of a slime in the tank in it's wake. Not seeing it eat after a week I returned it to where I found it. It didn't feel right leaving it in there and not seeing it eat. About a month ago I found an empty moon snail shell that was about the size of a baseball, maybe larger. I wish I could have seen it alive, it's foot must have been literally a foot long!

 

[hotelbravo]

That's good, maybe they only do it for me. Lol the most recent moon snail I caught was a few months ago in Charleston, SC. Had the snail, some small hermits, some chaeto-like seaweed and a few tiny bait fish in a 2 liter pitcher with air pump. When I got back home, everything in the pitcher was coated in the clear 'snot-like' secretion from the snail. (This is the second time one did this to me). They are pretty so I fall for it each time. Lol

Do yours leave a 'residue trail' behind them?

Fun fact, not sure if you got any, but if you find one with a rubbery skirt around it, that isn't the body, the 'skirt' is an egg mass.

Hope they work out for you and your friends! Keep us posted on their behavior.

so far no snails have left a residue in their wake but they are still new. ill be on the lookout and report back in. I have put two small ones in my display to see how they acted and if they went after any of my current snails so far they zoom around the sand bed and stir it up really well but have not touched any hermits or any of my trochus and Mexican turbo snails. ive seen pictures of that egg mass it looks pretty cool

Those look pretty neat. It's a shame you can't sell them though!

I can give them away I just cannot make any monetary income from them

I found one alive on the shore near Boston a couple weeks ago that was about the size of a golf ball, maybe a hair larger. It's "foot" was about 4-5" long. It was the fastest snail I've ever seen, crossing the length of my 55 in about 6 seconds. Quite comical when it would climb the glass to the top of the tank and then fall off, floating to the bottom and landing upside down. Amazing to see it use it's foot to right itself. Tossed a clam and an oyster into the tank to see it if would eat it. Didn't touch either, nor did it eat any of my other snails. It did leave a bit of a slime in the tank in it's wake. Not seeing it eat after a week I returned it to where I found it. It didn't feel right leaving it in there and not seeing it eat. About a month ago I found an empty moon snail shell that was about the size of a baseball, maybe larger. I wish I could have seen it alive, it's foot must have been literally a foot long!

yea that's a pretty big one! the research ive found on them is that there are thousands of species in close relation to the moon snail and infact many species of just moon snails. some are more predatory then others. ive seen some of my moons eating scallop but not a lot of it so im still trying to find a food they cant resist.

 

[Umbra]

There's a video of them on youtube hunting razor clams, could try those if your supermarket carries them. There's also a video of Conuber sordidus hunting soldier crabs, so perhaps try crab meat or a tiny pest crab?

 

[hotelbravo]

very good idea thanks