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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Strombidae |
| Gong-gong
or Pearl conch Strombus turturella (canarium) Family Strombidae updated Aug 10
Where seen? This delightful 'fat' little conch snail is often seen on many of our shores, on silty and sandy areas with good seagrass growths. Although large, these snails are hard to spot. The shell of a living Gong-gong is often obscured by encrusting plants and animals. Sometimes, the seaweeds growing on a Gong-gong shell becomes larger than the shell! Features: 6-7cm. Shell thick with large flared lip, inner portion of shell opening is pearly and usually gold. The flared portion is thick only in adults. Young snails may not have a flared portion of the shell, or if they do, this portion is much thinner than in an adult. Each eyestalk has a tentacle, the purpose of which is not known. It is said that Gong-gong gather in groups to mate and lay eggs. Females are said to be larger than males. It was previously known as Strombus canarium. Human uses: Where common it is commercially harvested for food in many parts of Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, the shells are traditionally used by fishermen as sinkers for nets. Status and threats: Like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Trampling by careless visitors and over-collection can also have an impact on local populations. |
 Chek Jawa, Nov 03  A large seaweed clump on the shell. Tanah Merah, Apr 05 |
A
lively snail that hops instead of creeping along the surface.
 A young snail with a thin shell that hasn't fully developed a flared portion yet. Chek Jawa, Jul 07 |
 Muscular, elongated foot. Kusu Island, Nov 04 |
Gong-gong on Singapore shores
 Tanah Merah, May 09  Highly extendable proboscis. |
 Tanah Merah, Jun 09  |
 Tanah Merah, Aug 09  |
 Chek Jawa, May 03 |
 Possibly laying eggs. |
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 Tanah Merah, Jul 10 |
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 Possibly laying eggs? |
 Young snail with a thin flared portion of shell. Sentosa, Jun 07 |
 Young snail. Tanah Merah, Apr 05 |
 Young snail. Pasir Ris Park, Jul 08 |
more photos and video clips of gong-gong on Singapore shores
northern shores
southern shores part 1 | part 2
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Links
References
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Graham Brash, Singapore. 145 pp.|
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