A large cat’s eye snail, surrounded by tiny periwinkles, rests upside down on coastal rocks. The snail has retreated into its shell, closing its blue-green ‘trapdoor’. This protects it from predators, and from drying out. The periwinkles seal their openings with mucus and may seek shelter in crevices when the tide is out.
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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
by Melanie Lovell-Smith
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Comments
23 February 2015
05 June 2013