Rachael Tancock, The Nature Educator

Don’t throw these out, they’re babies! Moon snails lay their eggs in collars, which look similar to the end of plungers 🪠, but they’re in fact tiny little baby marine snails.

These sandy, spiral-shaped structures are created as the snail burrows into the sand and forms a gelatinous, spiral-shaped collar around its shell, depositing thousands of eggs.

This collar then hardens into a sand-mucus matrix, providing protection and a stable environment for the developing embryos.
Many people have mistaken these plunger/looking egg collars for garbage or trash and dispose of them in nearby garbage bins. Please leave these at the beach so these baby moon snails can grow!

#marinebiology #moonsnail #ocean #naturalist #lowtide