Dog Whelk
Amanda Morgan Period 2
Habitat
- Rocky mid-inner tidal
- Mussel and barnacle zones
- Bering Sea to Mexico
Daily Changes
- Desiccation: Holds water in operculum and/or moves to moist area
- Wave action: Goes to more sheltered shores, thick shell, muscular foot, hiding in between rocks
- Salinity: evolution-being able to naturally withstand change, moves to different water source
- Interrupted Feeding: hides in shell from waves, overeats in order to survive until next feeding time.
Special Characteristics
- Thick shells: protection from crabs
- Large foot: helps for attaching onto rocks
Moving
- Moves using its foot
Food and Predators
- barnacles and mussels
- radula (tooth for removing flesh)
- drills holes in prey's shell
- injects enzymes into prey that turns it into soup which is sucked out
- eaten by birds, crabs, other crustacean
Interesting Facts!
Turns tongue into straw which is used to suck up their soupy prey
An operculum is a "little trap door" or lid that is attached to the foot and closes when snail is inside shell