Merry
Contributor
From our trip to Anilao, Philippines, three years ago.
I believe this is the articulate harp snail, Harpa articularis. At the time, I didn't think the images were good enough to post, but in retrospect, this snail's behavior is remarkable...for a snail.
I found this innocent-looking snail with a four inch shell during a night dive by the pier north of Club Ocellaris. I casually took one shot, but before I could take a look in the monitor, the snail sprang, yes, sprang onto a clump of debris, stirring up a cloud of sand and silt. Whoa, I didn't expect this kind of swift, predatory action from a snail. All I could do was shoot off two more frames in succession, as a cloud of silt enveloped both of us.
This nocturnal snail feeds on crabs, so a well-concealed crab must have been the target.
I believe this is the articulate harp snail, Harpa articularis. At the time, I didn't think the images were good enough to post, but in retrospect, this snail's behavior is remarkable...for a snail.
I found this innocent-looking snail with a four inch shell during a night dive by the pier north of Club Ocellaris. I casually took one shot, but before I could take a look in the monitor, the snail sprang, yes, sprang onto a clump of debris, stirring up a cloud of sand and silt. Whoa, I didn't expect this kind of swift, predatory action from a snail. All I could do was shoot off two more frames in succession, as a cloud of silt enveloped both of us.
This nocturnal snail feeds on crabs, so a well-concealed crab must have been the target.
