E-Fauna Photo Gallery
Turritropis cancellata
(Checkeredhairysnail)
© Aaron Baldwin (Photo ID #2305)
Photographer's Submitted Details
Photo Location
Sitka Sound, Alaska
Photographer
Aaron Baldwin
Habitat
Rocky areas, lower intertidal
Photo Date
Upload Date
October 28, 2007
Elevation (m)
UTM Zone #
Latitude
UTM Easting
Longitude
UTM Northing
Photo ID #
2305
Notes
This common species is unusual as it is an obligate kleptoparasite. What this means is that it can only feed by stealing small crustaceans that are captured by tubeworms! It has a very specialized proboscis (seen here in the act of stealing) that is perfect for picking food from a tubeworm tentacle but useless for feeding any other way. The common name for this family, hairy snails, refers to the hairy periostracum on the shell (a periostracum is a proteinaceous covering on the outside of the shell)
|
|
|
|
|
|