Wrinkled Amphissa
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/187447144
I took a trip to Snail City for this week's Creature Feature. Before this day, I did not refer to this rocky shore as Snail City, but boy did I feel outnumbered... by the thousands. As I made my way closer to the water to see what else I could find, I kept seeing snails! Every rock was covered with the slimy creatures. I had never seen so many snails in one place! The majority of the snails I encountered were tiny and dark colored snails, many resembling my Creature Feature from several weeks ago: The Mask Limpet. I was overwhelmed by the number of snails before me, but a bright orange shell caught my eye. I took a closer look and was pleased to discover what I now know to be a Wrinkled Amphissa. This type of snail grows to be three centimeters long and is, "mainly a scavenger on dead flesh and dead algae, which it uses its long siphon to find"(Cowles). The color of this snail was a bold contrast against the brown rock and crusty barnacles. These snails come in a variety of colors such as, “pink, orange, mauve, yellow, yellowish green, or mottled with brown”(Cowles). I’m surprised that this is my first encounter with a Wrinkled Amphissa, but now I know what to look for when I am exploring rocky shorelines. It’s possible I hadn’t encountered one before because these snails are typically underwater and easily obscured by plants, rocks, or moving water.
Cowles, Dave. “Amphissa Columbiana Dall, 1916.” Invertebrates of the Salish Sea, 2007, inverts.wallawalla.edu/Mollusca/Gastropoda/Prosobranchia/Order_Neogastropoda/Suborder_Rachiglossa/Family_Columbellidae/Amphissa_columbiana.html.
Comments
When I first read "snail city", I was wondering if your particular home city has a lot of snails. I was intrigued to hear that you found a beach with so many snails. I am not very familiar with snails and am glad you had an experience with such an abundance of them! Its orange color catches my eye and I would love to find a wrinkled amphissa coming in the color pink or yellow! It's a little haunting that it feeds on dead flesh, but I must admit it is quite a unique feature, and therefore, pretty awesome! I will definitely be on the lookout for these brightly colored snails as I move forward and I appreciate you sharing their existence with me. I am curious as to whether or not these snails ever leave their shells behind or find new ones. I would love to collect a colorful shell like that.
Hi Jillian;
What a fun choice for your observations: Little Snails (Wrinkled Amphissa). It reminded me of my childhood digging around in tidal pools and finding all the life that these places hold. I know some snails are edible. I had eaten different ones, including the chiton, famously known for its beautiful butterfly shells; that is what I called it when I was young. Of course, abalone, I think, is in those categories too. My son is allergic to all shellfish, and he loves any food from the ocean, a pity. In France several years ago, I ate snails called Escargot. I liked it best, tempera fried, then they served it all up fancy, which I thought funny because they were snails, not salmon.
When looking at the pictures of these little Wrinkled Amphissa, I thought about how pretty they were and the many colors they seem to come in, as well as how much work they did for the environment by removing the dead fish and algae; they are natural janitors of the ocean.
Thank you for your observation. It was enjoyable to read your description of looking and finding Wrinkled Amphissa.
Gayleen
Hello, Jillian! This is a great observation. I am so glad to see that you noted a few living organisms that were not in the Plantae kingdom. I think it is also good to have some variation in where the naturally occurring matter is observed. I, myself, have included a couple of sea-dwelling plants and am happy to see others doing it as well. Your trip sounds fun and I am sure you witnessed quite a few different snail species. This Wrinkled Amphissa is such a pretty, warm orange and it is interesting to read that it comes in so many colors. Thanks for sharing this cute little sea critter!
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