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Moonsnail (Lunatia) collected from Calvert Cliffs
Moonsnail Predator Prey Relationship Maryland Miocene
The moonsnail belongs to the Naticidae family. Moonsnails are carnivorous marine snails that feed off other mollusks. Its oversized body allows it to glide through the sand with ease. These carnivorous snails leave distinct marks on its prey after an attack, small round holes drilled into its shell.
Drill hole in a Dallarca collected from
Calvert Cliffs
The Moonsnail uses its large inflatable foot to grab hold of its prey. The mucus lined foot acts as a support to grab hold of the mollusk. The moonsnail then uses acids to soften the hard shell of its prey. It then starts scraping away at the softened shell with its sharp straw like tongue called a radula. After the hole is complete the moonsnail sucks out the insides of its prey. This process can take from hours to days depending on the shell’s thickness. Some moonsnails give up before it even makes it through the shell.
Incomplete drill hole in a Dallarca collected from Calvert Cliffs
Moonsnails are cannibals and make no distinction regarding their prey. If a moon snail encounters another moonsnail it will attack its own kind.
Drill hole in a Lunatia collected from Calvert Cliffs
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Although the mollusks with the thicker shells have a better chance of surviving a moonsnail attack, the thin shelled mollusk have a better chance of getting their daily food supply because they need less food than the thick shelled mollusks.
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