hitch-hiker snail? maybe a whelk snail

[Miyagi570]

Can anyone tell me what kind of snail this is? I think it's a whelk snail it has the "tatooed" pattern onto the flesh of his snouts.

[pagojoe]

The tattoo pattern rule isn't really a dependable one, as some whelks don't have them and some harmless whelk relatives do. However, yours is certainly a true buccinid whelk, and will be predatory, most likely on other snails. It's a juvenile in the subfamily Pisaniinae, but juveniles are harder to nail down to the species level. My guess would be Gemophos gemmatus, but it might just be a close relative.

Cheers,



Don