Subipedia
SANDCRAFT
SANDCRAFT
In zoology, sand collars are referred to as egg clutches made of fine sand.
The moon snails are also known as umbilical snails (lat. Naticidae).
With a gelatinous mass produced by the snails, they combine their countless tiny eggs with the finest grains of sand to form an elaborate shape.
The resulting spawning belt protects the eggs. After several weeks and a metamorphosis, the larvae hatch as small finished snails.
Although the sand collars are clearly visible on the seabed, they are hardly noticed by divers. For this reason, the formations cannot be found in the usual identification books for divers.
The snails from the Naticidae family are found exclusively in the sea. Their habitat ranges from shallow water to the deep sea. They are hunters and feed on molluscs (mussels and snails). Occasionally carrion and also their own species serve as food. (cannibalism). When foraging, the animals glide over the sand or plow through it, leaving their tracks behind.
Photos: Johann Vifian
Sources: Zootaxa 1770: 1-40 (2008) www.mapress.com/zootaxa, Wikipedia