Babelomurex cariniferus facts for kids
The Babelomurex cariniferus, also known as Babel's latiaxis, is a type of sea snail. It's a marine mollusc from the Muricidae family, which includes many rock snails.
Quick facts for kids Babelomurex cariniferus |
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| Apertural view of Babelomurex cariniferus | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Babelomurex
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| Species: |
cariniferus
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Where It Lives
You can find the Babelomurex cariniferus sea snail in the Mediterranean Sea. It also lives along the west coast of Africa, near places like the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and Angola.
This snail is listed on the IUCN Red List, which tracks endangered species. This is because scientists believe it mostly lives only around the island of Malta.
Its Home in the Ocean
These sea snails make their homes in coral reefs. They live among different types of coral and sponges. You can find them in shallow waters, just a few meters deep, or in very deep parts of the ocean, more than 1000 meters down!
What It Looks Like
The shells of Babelomurex cariniferus can grow to be about 20 to 45 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small button to a large marble. Their shells can be whitish or a dark gray color.
These shells have many different shapes. They often have flat, spiral layers with very spiky ribs. The edges of the shell's spirals are decorated with several sharp, spine-like scales. The snail also has a hard, horn-like lid called an operculum, which it uses to close its shell opening.
This snail looks a bit like another species called Babelomurex benoiti. However, Babelomurex cariniferus has more variety in its shape and how its shell is sculpted. It also has a different number of spine-like scales.
What It Eats
These sea snails are not very common. They are also very picky eaters! They are known as "specialist feeders." This means they eat only one specific type of food. For Babelomurex cariniferus, that food is the soft parts, called polyps, of stony corals.
Images for kids
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A shell of Babelomurex cariniferus from Sicily
