It's hard to imagine a slow-moving snail as an active predator, but the aquatic violet snail cleverly pursues prey using winds and currents. The snail doesn't tackle easy victims, either-this tiny mollusk often munches on the stinging tentacles of poisonous jellyfish and man-o-wars and even eats their bulbous bodies! It escapes predators by clouding the waters with dye, but this snail often falls victim to natural forces.
Floater: The violet snail can barely swim, so it floats on the ocean's surface where it can be propelled by sea breezes and waves. The creature uses a cluster of thick, air-filled mucous bubbles as floatation devices.
Look Up, Look Down: This mollusk would be an easy target for enemies if not for its camouflage. The snail's shell is dark on top and light on the bottom; this helps it blend in with the darkest seawater when seen from above and the sun-lit water when seen from below.
A Taste For Jelly[]
Air-filled mucus bubbles keep the violet snail afloat.
Inside its paper-thin shell, the violet snail's body is little more than a tube of muscle with a mouth on the end. This small mouth, however, is powerful. The violet snail hunts by drifting in the sea, and bumping into its favorite foods, jellyfish and man-o-wars. The snail is immune to the venomous stings of these creatures, so it can grab their tentacles with its jaws without harm. The snail then munches away, shreds a tentacle with its rough tongue and follows it up towards the victim's body, where it can dig into the helpless jelly-like body.
Inkjet: When bothered by potential predators, such as fish and seabirds, the violet snail does have a trick. The mollusk can release a cloud of purple dye into the water that hides its shell from view and even makes the snail taste bad.
Wild World: There are many threats lurking for the violet snail, but not just those from predators. The surf can wash the creature onto shore, and unless it catches a retreating wave, it is doomed. Strong winds can rip the bubble-float from the snail's shell and send it falling helplessly to the ocean floor.
Full of Hot Air[]
When a female violet snail lays her eggs, she expands her float of bubbles and attaches the eggs to the underside of the float so they won't sink. When the eggs hatch, the young take in a few gulps of air from the mother's float so they can begin to produce their own bubbles, then drift away to start their own lives.
Trivia[]
- The front of the card erroneously lists jellyfish and man-o-wars as poisonous; the back of the card correctly identifies them as venomous.