Found beautiful saltwater snail in North Atlantic today!

[sparrow]

Hello everyone!

Was walking on the beach today and found a beautiful white and pink snail (about 1 1/2 inches long). The brown operculum(?) (very hard) was shut tight and he was just laying on the sand amid a flock of hungry seagulls.

I brought him home in a plastic bag found on the beach with ocean water and sand. I placed him in a large clear vase, with about 2 inches of sand on the bottom.

The operculum opened and he has partially emerged from his shell. I have not seen his antennae yet, but he appears to be coming up for air (or food) and has shown what I assume is his mouth, several times. The head appears transparent and purplish. I am also not certain if this is an air breathing snail. He is laying on his back and not sure if I should turn him over (would rather not disturb if not needed). assuming he can turn himself over if need arises(?).

I am along the Long Island, New York coast, but the coast faces directly south and depending upon the tidal currents, sometimes get shells from the south (Florida, etc...). Because of the light colour of the shell, I have a feeling this little guy is from the south (tropical).

Does anyone have ANY suggestions for his care, feeding, etc...?

My little garden snail, Snagglepuss is doing extremely well.

Sorry the photo is so blurry - this was the best I could do for the moment. (The little mark on his shell on the middle right is the louse. Found another one burrowing in the sand. Have a feeling there are more.)

Thank you!

Leah

P.S. Just scraped a sea louse off the little guy's back. First I thought it was a piece of sand, but when I noticed it moved half way up his back, I quickly Googled "parasites" and sure enough - out you go! That little thing put a couple of dents in the snail's back, but nothing too bad. I'm also beginning to think, the snail was attacked by a seagull or other predator as the shell's lip appears jagged. Little guy closed up when I took him out to remove the louse, but he's opening up slowly again.

[Cashell]

Fantastic find! I unfortunately don't know about the upkeep of aquatic snails.

[sparrow]

Thank you! Was able to get a decent side view a few minutes ago.
Been googling all afternoon and not finding much on saltwater/sea snails/marine snails, etc...
I'm hoping he can survive without the pumps and additions regular salt water tanks require.
Wrote to a saltwater snail supplier to see if he can identify.

[sparrow]

Found it!
Shark-eye or Atlantic Moon Snail (Neverita duplicata)
oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/moonsnail.htm
www.jaxshells.org/0408ii.htm

Now how to care for this little beauty is another story. Likes clams, scallops and dead fish, so that's a good start.
Not sure if it needs to be completely submerged or if I should limit the water and boost the sand content...

This guy is going to be a handful if he survives. Definitely needs a larger tank than what I have him in now.

[sparrow]

It's been confirmed by the author of the below article that the snail found is properly called a Shark-eye snail (Neverita duplicata) and is native to where he or she was found.
www.listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0904b&L=conch-l&P=2016

Shark-eye snails are distinctly male or female and my little guy/gal is an adolescentent that will require "...an aerated marine aquarium with ample sand substrate and a supply of small live clams for him or her."

I am waiting to hear from a colleague of the author for further care information. If he or she will not survive until a proper aquarium can be established, I believe the best thing would be to return "Francis/Frances" to the ocean. Will follow up when more information is available.

If anyone has any suggestions, of course, they are very welcome.

Leah

[starcrazy19]

You can get canned/dried snails as food for other pets from some pet shops or online (in the uk anyway) that he might be able to eat. Could be he will only eat live stuff in the manner described in your links though. When apple snails breathe air, they extend a 'snorkel' to the surface and use that to breathe... if he does that, then like an apple snail he won't need as much airation as a fish would do. I have absolutely no idea though. I probably would chuck him back in the sea if you can't get him settled but good luck keeping him! He is very beautiful, hope you can get a picture of his face!

[sparrow]

They prefer bivalves (clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, etc...). They may eat pieces of dead fish if nothing else is available.
I should have tried taking a photo when he poked out yesterday, but I was so engrossed in watching him, I didn't want to spoil the moment.
He's still attached to the operculum, but no movement. I don't believe they have proboscisus. They are kind of blobby compared to land snails and the antennae are really minimal compared to the body size.

If he doesn't peek out by tomorrow morning, I am going to return him to the ocean. Rather a live snail I don't own then a dead one. I don't collect shells.

[muddydragon]

What a beautiful snail! i wish you the best of luck in managing to keep him

[brunni]

Hi Sparrow

Thanks for your interesting post about Neverita duplicata you found washed up alive on the beach. Congrats for the correct identification as a member of the Naticidae, more commonly called moon snails.
As with many marine gastropods, they are almost impossible to keep in captivity due their specialised habitat and diet. Their main diet is “other mollusks, especially clams” which they will digest alive “by drilling a hole with its radula ( teeth ) through the shell and at the same time secreting an acidic substance that softens the shell. After completing a perfectly beveled hole, this snail will suck out the body of the mollusk eating up to four clams a day using this method”. Typically these clams are far inferior in size to the moon snail and you would need a daily live source of baby marine clams.
Here is some info about live moon snails, their shells and animals are often very beautiful.
www.seaslugforum.net/showall/naticid

[sparrow]

The more I read about Neverita duplicata, the more I realized he would be impossible to care for. Several writings, especially on wildlife sites urged returning these unique (even though quite common) snails to the sea if found live, which is what I did. Right after I wrote the post on October 4, I walked back down to the ocean and put "Francis/Frances" near to the spot where I found him. He was still moving around inside the shell (I could see movement behind the operculum) and gave him the best chance at possible survival. I watched the tide take him away and prayed he would live. Admittedly, I cried, but also remembered a very valuable lesson my father tried instilling in me as a child, "Never take on a pet you can't properly care for and never take anything from the ocean that is living."

I felt like a little girl bringing home a starfish or group of "sand puppies" in a sand bucket, only to find everything dead the next morning. I'll be 60 in a few months, so it was a bit of an emotional ride for me.

So, I still have my little Snagglepuss, who is thriving for over a year now. I think I'll just keep looking for a friend for him.