Jan 29, 2009: Operculum
Watery gastropods like moon snails can withdraw completely into their shell and slam the door shut on the outside world. They do this to prevent dessication and avoid predators. The door is called an operculum, Latin for "little lid."
Moon snail operculum, close-up. What the heck is a moonsnail? Read our first moonsnail post here.
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[…] Sometimes when you pick up a moon snail it clams up, squeezing all the water out of its foot and slamming shut the trap door. Othertimes, and this is so random it might just be personal, the snail simply tries to crawl out […]