Penion chathamensis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Penion chathamensis |
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| A shell of Penion chathamensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| (unranked): |
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: |
Buccinoidea
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| Family: | |
| Genus: |
Penion
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| Species: |
P. chathamensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Penion chathamensis (Powell, 1938)
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| Synonyms | |
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Penion fairfieldae (Powell, 1947) |
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The Penion chathamensis is a very large type of sea snail. It is also known as a whelk. This amazing creature is a mollusc that lives in the ocean. It belongs to a group of animals called gastropods. These snails are part of the Buccinidae family, which are often called "true whelks."
About the Penion chathamensis
The Penion chathamensis is a very big siphon whelk. These snails are predators, meaning they hunt and eat other animals. They have separate sexes, just like many animals. This means there are male snails and female snails. However, it's hard to tell them apart just by looking at their shells. Their shells look very similar in shape and size, whether they are male or female. This is called not having "sexual dimorphism" in their shells.
Understanding Similar Species
There used to be another snail species called Penion fairfieldae. Scientists thought it was a different kind of snail. But new studies using genetic information showed something interesting. The Penion fairfieldae is actually the same species as Penion chathamensis! You might still find shells that were once called P. fairfieldae. These shells are usually a different size than typical P. chathamensis shells. But their overall shell shape is the same.
Where These Snails Live
The Penion chathamensis is a snail that is endemic to New Zealand. This means it is only found naturally in New Zealand waters. You can find these snails off the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. They also live on the Chatham Rise. This is an underwater area near the Chatham Islands. The Chatham Islands are where this snail was first discovered. That's why its scientific name, chathamensis, comes from the islands.
