Why do seashells have holes

The hole is too small for the snail to crawl through, but it can extend its radula down through the hole to the inside of the bivalve.

But you also need to thank some predatory snail, like our Moon Snails, for drilling the hole! Joe Richardson Ph. He can be reached through www. Facebook-f Twitter Instagram. Back to all. February 26, Joseph Richardson, Ph. You might also enjoy. The Inshore Grouper Bite Plight!

Nice post. The small, tooth-like structure in the predator mollusk is called a radula. Entire books have been written on these small structures.

In the majority of snails, the radula is a tough, ribbon-like structure, set up rather like an old-fashioned typewriter ribbon, and covered in row after row of microscopic tiny teeth. As one set wears out, the ribbon advances and a new set comes into play. In cone snails, the radula is extremely modified.

Only one minute tooth is used at a time, and that tooth is shaped like a harpoon, a harpoon which also delivers a neurotoxin to paralyze the prey of the cone snail which in most species is marine worms. Thanks for the info. I have a better appreciation for what I see now. Somebody told me one time that some of the holes in shells were from birds pecking through them to try to get the critters out!

Very interesting information, Pam…thanks. Hope to run into you on the beach in June. What a delightful, informative post. You always seem to bring me back to my dearest memories…I can feel the sand between my toes and the warm breeze on this cold Ohio day.

Thank you! How cool is that?!?! I usually skip over or toss shells like that, as if they were somehow imperfect is that possible? I swear, from now on though, I will never look at them the same. I promise I will give them their due respect and at least keep an open mind for any secret messages to be revealed! Love it and love your blog, too! Thank you so much for all the enjoyment you bring and for opening our eyes to the wonders of the sea!

Wow Pam, Fantastic post. I had always wondered about the worm marks in the venus clams. BTW I think one is something else? Thanks for the info! I thought it had to be some sort of worm. Now I know that the Bristle Worm is the artist! I hope to one day be able to have an alphabet! The designs are another gift from the sea for me!

They are great for stringing. Thank you, Pam! Nice post Pam! Interesting topic. So-called damaged shells have much more of a story to tell than the whole ones do! Thank you for the wonderful post. I enjoyed reading it. My husband and I arrive in sanibel in 3 days and we are super excited! It is my all time favorite place to be! FYI- Shelling Alert! If they were coming in there, they may have started coming in somewhere else as well. Enjoy the weekend wherever you might be.

I found a shell with a V on it while on Sanibel. Thank you for sharing so much of your shell-smarts with us. Hi there friend:- We made it to Blind Pass because of your post. Things on shells and stones It is not unusual to find shells with tiny holes in them.

If you happened to be a mollusc detective, this would be your biggest clue as to who murdered your mollusc and their motive. These tiny holes are made by the tiny drilling 'tongues' of carnivorous sea snails. The culprits are likely to be dog whelks, whelks and necklace shells more about them here and they drill through the shells to get to the soft bodies inside which they turn to goo and suck up.

It can take them days to drill these holes and the bi-valves inside have little chance of escape. A shell with a whole heap of tiny holes usually 1 to 3 mm across , has generally fallen prey to a boring sponge. Before you all fall asleep, that's 'boring' as in boring holes, not boring you into a stupor.

The sponge bores holes in its host to give it shelter. Unfortunately, this eventually kills the sea snail as the shell becomes brittle and falls apart. If you find a limpet with a hole in - have a look at this page , before you go any further as it may be a keyhole hole that the limpet has grown there deliberately.

If you are looking for something that is, or might be, a fossil, have a look at our fossil ID page. These paper things on a razor shell are the eggs of sting winkles. Have a look here for more information. Barnacles have larvae which swim around looking for somewhere solid to settle. This can be rock, or stones like the slate here , shells, pieces of plastic, the bottom of boats, the shells of crabs and turtles or the skins of whales.

They are really, it would seem, not very fussy at all. Once the barnacle has settled, it cannot move and so, if the shell or stone gets beached, so does the barnacle and, out of water, it cannot survive for long.