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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda |
| Horn
snails Family Potamididae updated Sep 12
Where seen? Horn snails are common in our mangroves but often overlooked. Some are tiny. Others like the Rodong, are large. Features: Shell long and conical. The operculum is made of a horn-like material usually with a tight spiral pattern. 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. Sometimes confused with Creeper snails (Family Cerithiidae) which also have an operculum made of a horny material but with only a few whorls. Horn snails have siphonal canals that are less pronounced and they are generally larger than Creeper snails. 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. |
 Rodong snails mating? Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Mar 06  The Red Chut-chut snail (above) and the Black Chut-chut snail. Pasir Ris, Jun 10  Operculum with tight spiral. Kranji, Jan 10 |
You
are almost certain to see these large snails during a
visit to our mangroves.Horn snails on Singapore shores
| 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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