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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda |
| Whelks Family Nassariidae updated Aug 10
Where seen? Whelks are commonly seen on many of our shores. On sandy or muddy shores and among seagrasses. Most whelks live in shallow waters, often in large groups. They are sometimes also called Nassa mud snails or Dog whelks. These small snails are among the busiest creatures you might come across at low tide, as they try to beat one another to any fresh dead animals left on the shore. When not foraging, whelks hide in the sand. Features: About 2cm. Whelks have tough thick shells. They have a long siphon and a large organ near the siphon (called the osphradium) that are used to detect chemicals released by dead animals. The fleshy siphon is extended out of a little notch in the tip of the shell. The siphon of a whelk can be as long as its body! They can also drill through shells. They have long slender tentacles bearing eyes, and the back of the large foot has a pair of tentacles. Whelk food: Whelks are active scavengers and often seen busily foraging in pools at the change of the tides. A choice morsel such as a dead crab or fish is a magnet for these snails which hurry as fast as they can to the feast. They have been described as "extremely bold and agile". Whelk friends: Often, a tiny sea anemone hitches a ride on the shell of a whelk! The anemone probably benefits from the whelk's left overs, and avoids being permanently buried in the sediments. It is not certain if the whelk gets anything in return. Barnacles may sometimes also be found on the shells of large living whelks. Human uses: Although abundant, they are not much collected. Locally, they may be used as food or bait, and the shells sometimes used for shell craft. |
 Whelks cleaning out a recently dead snail while a hermit crab waits patiently. Tanah Merah, Feb 07  Whelk Joy! Dead fish! Chek Jawa, Sep 03  A small fish all to itself. Sisters Island, Jan 10 |
These
tiny snails are scavengers. When you see a dead thing,
look for them!
 Eyes on long slender tentacles. Chek Jawa, Jul 08 |
 Pair of tentacles at the back of the foot. Changi, May 05 |
| Family
Nassariidae recorded for Singapore from Tan Siong Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore.
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Links
References
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The Nature Society (Singapore), Singapore. 343 pp.|
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