In any shelling expedition, finding a beautiful shell with a ready made hole is the ideal prize for any subsequent necklace project. So have you ever wondered how the hole got there in the first place?
The answer is moon snail, also known as shark eye snail. As innocent as it looks, underneath that gorgeous bulbous shell is a fierce predator that feast on bi-valves and snails. It digs deep into the sand in search of prey and once a potential meal is located, it will extend it’s foot up to 4x its shell size and envelop the helpless victim. To get to the meat, the moon snail will secret an enzyme to soften the shell before drilling a hole with its tongue. Then it‘s just a matter of sucking up the flesh which is a full day affair.
Watch our great Moon Snail shelling adventure at Robert Moses State Park.
