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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Naticidae |
| Tiger
moon snail Natica tigrina Family Naticidae updated Aug 10 Where seen? This moon snail with a spotted shell is sometimes seen on our sandy Northern shores near seagrasses. Undisturbed shores may have large numbers of them. Features: 2-4cm, usually about 3cm. Shell pear-shaped with the spiral tip sticking out quite a bit, usually longer than wide. Colour white or beige with brown or black spots. (It is more of a leopard pattern than a tiger pattern). The operculum is shelly, smooth with two spiral grooves on the outer margin, white sometimes with bright yellow or black patches. The foot is plain white or beige without markings, but it seems to have a mantle that has fine white spots. Human uses: Where it is abundant, it is collected for food and the shell trade, especially in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. |
 Tuas, Apr 05 |
 Mating? |
 Spiral tip sticking out. |
 Close up of shell opening and operculum. |
Tiger moon snails on Singapore shores
 Chek Jawa, Oct 08 |
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 East Coast, Nov 08 |
 Mantle with with spots between shell and plain white foot. |
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 Eating a razor clam! Chek Jawa, Jul 08 |
 Seringat-Kias, Jun 09 |
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