Shark Eye Neverita duplicata (Say)
(=Polinices duplicatus)
Description: (3 1/2 inches) Smooth,
globe-shaped shell with a small spire. Resembles a shark's eye because line winds around the spire. Umbilicus almost covered by a large, buttonlike lobe. Large elliptical aperture. Horny operculum.
Color: Bluish brown or purplish gray with a gray umbilicus, brown callus and a light brown
semitransparent operculum.
Habitat: Lives offshore. Commonly washed onto sound and ocean beaches.
Range: Cape Cod, Mass to Texas.
Notes: Also called Atlantic moonsnail. A carnivore, it is a very active predator that burrows rapidly through sand to find prey. It attacks other mollusks, including relatives, by using its radula and acid secretions to drill a beveled hole through the prey's shell. This species leaves tracks over sand in low tide. Females lay eggs under "sand collars," which they form out of mucus and sand grains; these can often be found on beaches during the summer. Young are free swimming.
Source: Seashells of North Carolina, North Carolina Sea Grant College Program
Earlier Related Posts:
Natica, Moon and Ear Shells
Shark Eye Moon Snail
Baby's Ear
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