Story: Coastal shoreline

Common sea snails (1st of 3)

Common sea snails

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
Photograph by Melanie Lovell-Smith

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How to cite this page:

Maggy Wassilieff, 'Coastal shoreline - The rocky coast – upper shore', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/4813/common-sea-snails (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 12 Jun 2006