Austropusilla hilum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Austropusilla hilum |
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| Original image of a shell of Austropusilla hilum | |
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Austropusilla hilum is a tiny sea snail that lives in the ocean. It's a type of mollusk called a gastropod, and it belongs to the Raphitomidae family.
What Does This Snail Look Like?
This snail has a very small shell. It's usually about 3.85 millimeters long and 1.25 millimeters wide. That's less than half a centimeter!
The shell is thin and shaped like a needle. Its color is amber-brown, which is a yellowish-brown. The very tip of the shell, called the apex, can be purple.
The shell has five whorls, which are like the spirals or turns of the shell. These whorls are wound in a slanted way. The first whorl is tiny, and the last one makes up about two-thirds of the whole shell.
The shell's surface has fine spiral grooves. These grooves are closer together towards the front of the shell. The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is long and narrow. It gets suddenly smaller at the front. There's a deep curve in the shell called a sinus. A thin layer of smooth shell material, called callus, covers the central pillar of the shell, known as the columella. The siphonal canal, which is a tube-like extension, is wide, short, and slightly curved.
Where Does This Snail Live?
This sea snail lives in the ocean waters around Australia. You can find it off the coasts of New South Wales, Tasmania, and Victoria. This means it is endemic to Australia, which means it is only found there.
