Cantharidus antipodum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cantharidus antipodum |
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| A shell of Cantharidus antipodum | |
| Scientific classification |
Cantharidus antipodum is a type of small sea snail. It's a mollusk that lives in the ocean. These snails belong to a group called Trochidae, also known as top snails because of their shell shape.
What Does It Look Like?
The shell of the Cantharidus antipodum is usually between 4 and 8 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small pea! It has a smooth, shiny surface. The shell looks like a cone with a rounded bottom.
This snail's shell has four or five whorls, which are like the spirals or turns of the shell. The first two whorls are very tiny. The others are much larger. The lines between these whorls are called sutures. They are very thin. The widest part of the shell, called the body whorl, can be angled or rounded.
The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is large and round. The inside of this opening is very smooth and shimmers with rainbow colors, which is called being iridescent. The snail's shell is often purplish-black. The upper whorls can be iridescent too. They might have dark red spiral bands or green bands. Sometimes, you can see whitish zigzag patterns near the opening.
Some shells of this snail can be up to 12 millimeters long. They are thin and delicate. The color can change a lot. The very top two whorls might be white or pinkish-white. Lower down, you might see purple bands. The last whorl can be completely purplish-black. Sometimes, these purple colors break up into irregular dashes or dots.
Where Does It Live?
This marine snail lives in the waters around the subantarctic islands of New Zealand.
