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Dieren en planten

Molluscs   Marine snails   Common dogwhelk   Freshwater snails   Nudibranch   Necklace shells   Periwinkles   Large sea snails   Other sea snails   

Common dogwhelk

size:

up to 5 centimeters

color:

variable

age:

5 to 10 years

food:

barnacles other sea snails and mussels

enemies:

TBT pollution

reproduction:

sexual

  • Dut: Purperslak
  • Lat: Nucella lapillus
  • Eng: Common dogwhelk
  • Ger: Nordische Purpurschnecke
  • Dan: Purpursnegl
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Common dog whelk and eggs, foto fitis, sytske dijksen

Common dogwhelk

The common dogwhelk is a formidable predator, even though it doesn't look dangerous. The snail uses its tongue to grate a hole in the house of another animal, for example, bivalves or other sea snails. Then it injects a fluid, just like a spider, dissolving the prey. He drinks up the juicy victim. Such a meal costs a lot of preparation and can last between 6 to 10 hours. The eggs of the dogwhelk look like yellow-white bottles and are released onto stones. This snail almost disappeared from the use of tin-bearing paints (TBT) on ship hulls.

  • Distribution and habitat

    Common dogwhelks are found again more often along the coasts of the North Sea, as deep as forty meters. The Netherlands forms the northern boundary of its distribution area, which means the species less common here. You can find living specimen on the dikes and docks in the waters in Zeeland, especially where there is lots of wash. They are rare along the Holland beaches and in the wadden region.