Faunus ater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Faunus ater |
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| A shell of Faunus ater | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): |
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Sorbeoconcha |
| Superfamily: |
Cerithioidea
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| Family: |
Pachychilidae
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| Genus: |
Faunus
de Montfort, 1810
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| Species: |
F. ater
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| Binomial name | |
| Faunus ater (Linnaeus, 1758)
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_-_Pachychilidae_-_Mollusc_shell.jpeg)
Faunus ater is a type of snail that lives in brackish water. This means it lives in water that is a mix of fresh and salty water. It has a special lid called an operculum that can close its shell. This snail is a gastropod, which is a kind of mollusk (like slugs and clams). It belongs to the family Pachychilidae. Faunus ater is the only species in its group, called the genus Faunus.
Contents
Where Does the Faunus Ater Snail Live?
The Faunus ater snail can be found in many places around the world. It lives in parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Here are some of the areas where this snail is found:
- India
- Sri Lanka
- Andaman Islands
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- New Guinea
- Western and southern Pacific Islands, including the Solomon Islands
- Northern Australia
- China
What Does the Faunus Ater Snail Look Like?
The Faunus ater snail has a unique shell. It is usually dark brown or black. The shell has a thick outer layer called a periostracum.
Shell Features
The shell of this snail has about 20 whorls. These are the spiral turns that make up the shell. In older snails, the top part of the shell (called the apical whorls) might look worn away.
The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is oval-shaped and white. This snail's shell is special among snails in its group (Cerithioidea). It has two deep notches or "sinuses." One is near the top edge of the opening, and the other is more towards the front. The opening is about one-fifth the total height of the shell.
Size and Operculum
Most Faunus ater shells are about 50 to 60 millimeters (2 to 2.4 inches) tall. Some can grow even larger, up to 90 millimeters (about 3.5 inches).
The snail also has an operculum. This is a hard, oval-shaped lid that is dark brown. The snail uses it to close off its shell opening for protection.
Snail's Body
The snail itself has a wide snout. Inside its mouth, it has a large radula. A radula is like a ribbon of tiny teeth that snails use to scrape up food.
How Does the Faunus Ater Snail Live?
This snail mostly lives in brackish water. This is water that is a mix of fresh water and salt water. Sometimes, it can also be found in pure fresh water.
Faunus ater is the only snail in its family (Pachychilidae) that lives in brackish water. Most other snails in this family live only in fresh water.
Population and Diet
These snails can live in very crowded conditions. You might find as many as 6,700 snails in just one square meter of water!
Faunus ater likely eats by grazing. This means it scrapes algae and other tiny bits of food from surfaces.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
This snail is oviparous. This means it lays eggs. It is thought that the young snails start their lives as tiny, free-swimming larvae.
How Do Humans Use Faunus Ater Snails?
In some parts of the world, people eat Faunus ater snails. They are used as a food source in the Philippines and in Thailand.
