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Story: Coastal shoreline

Violet snail shells

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Violet snail shells

Another arrival on storm-swept shores are the semi-translucent shells of the ocean-going violet snail Janthina. This carnivorous creature drifts upside down amongst the plankton, feeding on jellyfish and Portuguese men-of-war.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Melanie Lovell-Smith

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Coastal shoreline – Sandy beaches – lower shore, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4840/violet-snail-shells (accessed 24 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.