Wairarapa duplaris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wairarapa duplaris |
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| Original image of a shell of Wairarapa duplaris | |
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Wairarapa duplaris is a type of small sea snail. It is a marine gastropod mollusk, which means it is a creature with a shell that lives in the ocean. This snail belongs to the family Drilliidae.
About the Shell
The shell of the Wairarapa duplaris is quite small. It is about 8 millimeters (mm) long and 3 mm wide. That's less than half an inch!
The shell is strong and shaped a bit like a spear. It is usually a dull cream color. Sometimes, it has a light brown area on its back.
Shell Features
The shell has 8 whorls, which are like the turns of a spiral staircase. The first two tiny whorls are called the protoconch. These are the parts of the shell that formed when the snail was a baby.
The shell has special patterns on its surface called sculpture. It has smooth, rounded ribs that go up and down. There are about eleven of these ribs on the second-to-last whorl. Near the opening of the shell, these ribs become smaller and closer together.
There is also a rough ridge, called a varix, near the shell's opening. After this ridge, the ribs stop. The bottom part of the shell has about a dozen fine grooves that spiral around.
Shell Opening
The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is narrow. It has a C-shaped curve, known as the sinus. There is also a thick, bumpy area called a callus knob near the right side of the opening.
Where It Lives
This sea snail lives only in Australia. It can be found off the coast of Queensland, which is a state in northeastern Australia. When an animal or plant lives only in one specific area, it is called endemic to that place.
