Shark eye

Description:

The color of the shell is variable, but is often a greyish brown. The central apex of the shell is often a dark blue in fresh shells, which can make the shell somewhat resemble an eye. On the underside (pic 2), there is a large brown callus which partly blocks the umbilicus of the shell. This shell was about 3.5 cm in dia.

Habitat:

Spotted on the beach (Perdido Beach) near the Florida and Alabama line. This is a common western Atlantic species. It is found from Massachusetts and other parts of New England, south to Florida and other states on the Gulf of Mexico, south to Honduras.

Notes:

The shark eye (like all moon snails) is predatory, feeding mainly on bivalves buried in the sand. This snail drills a neat "countersunk" circular hole through the shell of its prey species, and then feeds on the soft tissue within.