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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda |
| Horn
snails Family Potamididae updated Aug 10
Where seen? Horn snails are seen in our mangroves and Northern and Southern shores. These snails are common but often overlooked. Some are tiny. Others like the Rodong, are large. Features: They look similar to Creeper snails. Horn snails have siphonal canals that are less pronounced and they are generally larger than Creeper snails. The operculum is made of a horn-like material usually with many whorls. The Chut-chut (Cerithidea obtusa), Belitong (Terebralia sulcata) and Rodong (Telescopium telescopium) have a third eye on their mantle margin, in addition to a pair of eyes on tentacles. Here's more on how to tell these snails apart. What do they eat? Horn snails graze on detritus and algae growing on the bottom or other surfaces such as tree trunks. Many feed at low tide, some in very large groups. Horn snail babies: Members of this family have separate genders. The male transfers a sperm packet into the female. Eggs are laid in a gelatinuous mass on hard surfaces or the muddy bottom. Human uses: Many Horn snails are eaten by people. Rodong (Telescopium telescopium) is said to be delicious when steamed and eaten with chilli. Chut-chut (Cerithidea obtusa) is boiled and eaten by biting off the tip and sucking out the animal. Even the small Belitong (Terebralia sulcata) is also said to taste good. Status and threats: Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Overharvesting can also have an impact on local populations. |
 Rodong is large snail that is commonly seen in our mangroves. Pasir Ris, Jun 10  The Red Chut-chut snail (above) and the Black Chut-chut snail. Pasir Ris, Jun 10  Belitong is another delicacy Kusu Island, Jun 05 |
You
are almost certain to see these large snails during a
visit to our mangroves.| Familty
Potamididae 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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