marine snails
Ocean-dwelling shelled mollusks
Marine snails are snails that live in saltwater environments—oceans, seas, and tidal zones.
The term covers thousands of species, from tiny periwinkles to large conchs and whelks.
Many have spiral shells prized by collectors; some, like sea slugs and nudibranchs, have reduced or absent shells.
Marine snails are eaten in many cuisines: escargot de mer, whelks with garlic butter.
- grazerHerbivore eating low vegetation
- radulaMollusk scraping organ
- cowrieGlossy marine gastropod shell
- shell collectorOne who gathers exoskeletons
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
operculum · spiral shell · coral reef · whelk · nacre · mother of pearl · cone snail · predator · kelp forest · spire · venomous · whorl · tide pool · intertidal zone · rocky shore · proboscis · hydrothermal vent · barnacle