Invertebrates
See our handy guide to critters found in local homes and our Central Coast Butterfly FAQ. Browse the insects and other terrestrial arthropods we’ve identified. Check out local marine invertebrates, particularly bivalve mollusks and intertidal organisms.
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Found this by Stearns Wharf
Trying to find out what this is...
Thank you
Curator Response
Hi Layton,
Thanks for sharing this interesting find. This is actually a snail, although you wouldn’t think so at first glance. It looks like Carinaria japonica, a pelagic (meaning its home is in the water column in the open ocean) snail. The end at the top of your photo is the head, the small white hook at right is its visceral mass—covered by a thin shell when live—and the orangish halfmoon at left is its foot. This page by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography has more information, including a video showing a live snail swimming hypnotically in the open sea.
Stay curious,
Curator of Malacology Daniel L. Geiger, Ph.D.