Violet snail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Violet snail |
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| Janthina janthina | |
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| A live Janthina janthina with its bubble raft, found on a beach in Maui, Hawaii. When floating, its shell points downwards. | |
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Janthina
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janthina
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The Violet snail (Janthina janthina) is a fascinating type of sea snail. It's also known as the violet sea-snail, common violet snail, or purple storm snail. This amazing creature lives its whole life floating on the ocean's surface. It's a marine gastropod, which means it's a snail that lives in the sea. It belongs to a group of snails called Epitoniidae.
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Where the Violet Snail Lives
You can find the violet sea-snail all over the world. They live in the warm parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. These snails love to float right on the surface of the water. Sometimes, strong winds push large groups of them onto beaches. This is why they are sometimes called 'purple storm snails'. These snails are part of the neuston, which are creatures that live right at the ocean's surface. Baby snails, called veliger larvae, can swim freely. But adult snails cannot swim. They need to be at the surface to make their special bubble rafts.
Ocean Home and Food
Violet sea-snails are pelagic, meaning they drift freely in the open ocean. They spend their lives floating on the water's surface. These snails are predators, which means they hunt other animals for food. They mainly eat hydrozoa, which are small, jelly-like creatures. Their favorite meals include the 'by-the-wind sailor' (Velella velella) and the famous 'Portuguese man o' war' (Physalia physalis).
Amazing Features of the Violet Snail
The Janthina janthina belongs to the Janthinidae family. These snails are famous for how they float. They create a special raft made of air bubbles! This bubble raft helps them stay right at the ocean's surface. They use this position to hunt their food, like the hydrozoa we talked about. The snails make these bubbles stable with a special slime, or mucin. This way of floating is very clever and saves a lot of energy. Only the baby snails, called veliger larvae, have a small 'door' called an operculum to close their shell. Adult snails do not have one. Their shells are also super thin, like paper. This helps them float upside down on the water.
Shell and Body Appearance
The violet sea-snail has a unique shell color. It uses something called reverse countershading. This means the top of its shell (which is actually facing down in the water) is dark purple. The bottom part (facing up) is a lighter purple. This helps it blend in with the ocean from above and below. The snail has a large head and a very flexible neck. Its small eyes are at the bottom of its tentacles. The shell itself is a beautiful violet color. It feels almost smooth and is shaped like a slightly flattened globe. Remember, it's very thin and delicate, and it doesn't have an operculum. These shells can grow up to 38 millimeters tall and 40 millimeters wide.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
The life cycle of the violet sea-snail is quite special. Each snail starts its life as a male. As it grows older, it changes and becomes a female. The female snail keeps her eggs safe inside her body. She holds them until they hatch into tiny larvae. These larvae then begin their own journey in the ocean.
