Shark Eye moonsnail, Polinices duplicatus

Gorgeous moon snails!

Terri K. Hathaway
Marine Education Specialist
North Carolina Sea Grant
http://www.ncseagrant.org/

One of my favorite finds on the beach is the shark eye (Polinices duplicatus) moon snail shell.. though seldom do I find it intact.
If the eye looks nice, I usually add it to my collection. I found a particularly beautiful blueish swirled shark eye (below) and some of the other moon snails I've found featured in this entry.

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Shark Eye Neverita duplicata (Say) (=Polinices duplicatus)
Description: (3 1/2 inches) Smooth, globe-shaped shell with a small spire. Resembles a shark's eye because line winds around the spire. Umbilicus almost covered by a large, buttonlike lobe. Large elliptical aperture. Horny operculum.
Color: Bluish brown or purplish gray with a gray umbilicus, brown callus and a light brown semitransparent operculum.
Habitat: Lives offshore. Commonly washed onto sound and ocean beaches.
Range: Cape Cod, Mass to Texas.
Notes: Also called Atlantic moonsnail. A carnivore, it is a very active predator that burrows rapidly through sand to find prey. It attacks other mollusks, including relatives, by using its radula and acid secretions to drill a beveled hole through the prey's shell. This species leaves tracks over sand in low tide. Females lay eggs under "sand collars," which they form out of mucus and sand grains; these can often be found on beaches during the summer. Young are free swimming.
Source: Seashells of North Carolina, North Carolina Sea Grant College Program

Earlier Related Posts:
Natica, Moon and Ear Shells
Shark Eye Moon Snail
Baby's Ear