Moon snail

Some locals call these Tiger Eyes. I prefer to call them by their real name: Moon Snails. These are some of the most common shells I've found on the beach.

Moon Snails are carnivorous, tracking down their prey and drilling a hole through the poor animal, (usually another mollusks, and even other moon snails), with its tubular proboscis. (A proboscis is sort of like an elephant's trunk.) This explains all of those shells on the beach with a several-millimeter-wide hole in them, as well as Moon Snails themselves, since they're cannibalistic.

Oh, and one other thing. Have you ever seen those wierd sandy-colored collar-like things on the beach? At this time of year there are tons of them. Those are Moon Snail eggs. The exact recipe is Moon Snail slime, eggs, and a whole lot of sand. These collars dry out on the beach and crumble, and then high tide takes them back in. :)

Let's begin with...

...A pen shell! This one is around seven inches. These are mollusks related to mussels, and they live in soft, sandy mud. They don't dig or burrow in the mud, they grab their food.They anchor themselves by using their small "foot" to excrete out sturdy thin "byssus" threads. Byssus threads are what mussels and such use to anchor themselves as well. These threads are so sturdy that the romans spun them into clothing! Would you like to go around wearing a mollusk's excretion? Ew. :S

All in a day's beachcombing...

Ah. All in a day's beachcombing. (You're going to be so sick of that blue mat once I'm finished...) :)'

NOTE: All of the creatures, shells, etc. were dead when I found them. On Hilton Head it is against the law to take living things away from the beach, ie. live sand dollars, hermit crabs, starfish, etc. And you can't kill them so you can bring them back dead with you. (But you probably already knew that.)

Grand RE-opening!

Whew! I finally decided to clear away the cobwebs and start fresh! And what a way to start then by me giving you detailed descriptions of a dead pufferfish and a skate fetus? I mean honestly? ;)'