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Home My WebLink AboutJuly 15, 2004 - A mud snail tells its tale The Suffolk Times + July 15, 2004 � � mu �nal . es � sae � : ,,,, , mI� �l� � �� h � A"� 9 � '��N 1 I �� µ.�l llp) � �iil�) rM �:. . , �4/1�l �� 1 f� ,+ lllll � N l '�A k µ �I N • �"l� "� �'�� ,��ll��1 � ��" � � �� " r�� "' � �� ,ly ��i � i � r� ul �, � � i� .1'�. r � _ �,. ._ � ry�i�,' � �� `. ��/�� i �en-""' :f `" . /4��I 1�' re ",� .�'x `� .� .. �'; �� J..�,N';' � a�, t �e�.w� „ � �i nG�lry ��ry � �i^� '�� "�' � � ' rcir fl�� o•�� y1rvt ✓� �� a �,�v � °"'l � �MM �� 9 /. V i , .; � �•.,�' n .i � ,� � �nF /�ry/� �� w- �ury�� YM1 � l l � l I i + u Y I `. . �� , � ..,�„ l�l � l' �l r b ' � / � ry�l � r � �l� , d w ��:' l� rc� � '.1.. { / (�J W � / � y�/n. � �� i �'�� ' � � ' , i 9i�� zi� l�) � w� l M �lr �. 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THEv TELL M� Mv family is called got a special Gastropod.I don't even know what F�C►V$ gadget for locat- that means.Pm just a little mud snail. �N ing food.I think You know,the kind you see on�the they call it a bottom of our creeks and bays. I'm NATURE tentacle;I ve got kind of blackish and just enjoy roam- by PeUI two of them. ing over the bottom,finding things to Stoutenburgti �ey detect cat.I come in various sizes up to food,like when about half an inch. someone throws They say I do a great job of deaning a fish head overboard after they've thin s up.I've cleaned their catch.My smeliers are so keen I can easily pick up the scent wrap around me and suck the juices right out of ine.He's a guy I dodt like to eat. at s qu�te a long, rawn-out at all.We snails try to stay clear of him job,but I can do it if I have to,though most of the time. maybe not as good as that relative of Here's another fancy word.Instead mine,the oyster drill,who spends all of just saying trap door,they call it an of his life drilling holes in shells of one operculum.That operculum comes in kind or another. handy in other ways,too.Sometimes Then there's something else you on the mud flats the tide goes out so and,once I home in on it,I scurry not should know about this oyster drill. far that it leaves my friends and me too fast,about two inches every He sometimes gets into man's oyster high and dry.Now the sun can really minute) across the bottom until I get beds and practically ruins them and,of bake us,but all we have to do is close to it.Then,do I have a ball eating.Of course,he can get into mussel beds, our trap door,ar operculum to the sci course,everybody else in the neigh- but the thing that he's most noted far entists,and just wait until the tide borhood is there,too.They come from �s the damage he does to oysters.The comes back in again.We can also dig all directions as they,too,pick up the oyster drill has the rasping gadget that ourselves into the sand or mud a little smell of the fish head.Sometimes We all have,but his is more perfected. bit,and that helps keep us cool as there are so many of us we just cover He can just work on the oyster or well.My shell is pretty neat,being the bottom with our little black bod- mussel until he makes a peri'ect little watertight and strong.It serves me ies.Yes,we do a pretty good job of circle through the shcll and then can we1L I'm told my cousins,the freshwa- cleaning up fish heads and other ter snails and land snails,don't have things we enjoy eating. the protection that I have with my Besides my tentacles that pick up 1'amous trap door. the odors so well,I have another ge r�g into t e guts an consume it Now one thing I want to get gadget they call a proboscis.How do r�ght there on the spot.The oyster or squared away.Don't get me mixed up you like that for a name?And on the mussel,of course,can't get away, with that ornery guy,the hermit crab, end of it I've got the best darn cutting because they dodt move around like who is always looking for a new tool you can imagine.It's a special rib oyster drills and snails do.The oyster house.He can move about a lot faster bon-like tongue that has a bunch of drill is not a very nice guy to have than I can,but then he has the prob- sharp teeth all along it and by making around.He has a pretty little spiral lem of finding a new home every time it go back and forth like a saw,I can shell,though,much prettier than mine h�grows a little bigger.With me,my scrape off all kinds of thii7gs to eat. me being nothing but a mud snail. shcll just grows bigger as I grow big- Usually we snails are mostly scav- 1'ou know my shell and others like �'��'ou'll see a hermit crab running engers,cleaning up the bottom of the mine fascinate people.When you pick ��i��und on the bottom,checking out creeks and bays.When food is scarce one of us up,you can see our shells u►�e shell and then another.After and I get a little hungry,I look for a are real neat things.They are well many tries,it finally slips its soft body clam,oyster or mussel and,with that engineered in a spiral,with a trap out of its old shell and backs itself inlo special proboscis with its row of sharp door.Actually,you could say I carry the new,larger shell.This is when the teeth,I can actually drill a hole in the mY house with me wherever I go.And hermit crab is most vulnerable and if someone tries to get to me,I just can be eaten by other crabs or fish,so shell and et imicie to get something close the door—that is,after pulling it has to act fast.Some of these hermit all of rrry dangling parts inside,so they crabs grow pretty big,two to three can't get at me.lt's something like a inches in diameter with really big turtle when it pulls its head and feet claws,and take over the large round and tail all inside its shell.Well,Pm moon snail and conch shells.We little not as big and jazzy as a turtle,but I guys have a simpler life.We don't ever can pull all of my stuif in and shut the have to worry about finding a new door.As good as my trap door is, shell.We just move slowly around the there is one guy who can really get at bottom looking('or food to eat. me and that's the starfish.He can