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Project Noah Nature School
Ceratostoma foliatum
The shell was about 7 cm long. Identified by the ribs with deep grooves and the flanges called varices. Colors range from white to gray to brown. In the first pic it is attached to an acorn barnacle, which is this carnivorous snails favorite food. It drills through their protective shell with its radula. After drilling through the shell Ceratostoma foliatum injects digestive enzymes into the prey's body cavity and sucks out the dissolved tissue.
Spotted in a tide pool at Tongue Point Marine Sanctuary.
Found from Alaska to California.
Spotted on May 18, 2019
Submitted on May 20, 2019
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