California Horn Snail

Animal Guide : Crustaceans and Marine Molluscs

California Horn Snail
Fun Fact:
If it gets too dry on the mudflats, horn snails simply seal their doors and wait for higher tide.

What's for Lunch:
Algae, diatoms, and bits of rotting organic matter

Where's Home:
A tough but stylish shell

Scientific Name:
Cerithidea californica

Animal Guide : Crustaceans and Marine Molluscs

Overview:

Marine Mollusc
At low tide, you can see the pretty, spiral shells of Horn snails scattered across the mudflats like pebbles among the claws of feeding shorebirds. Like many other snails, the California Horn snail has a "door" called an operculum, with which it seals itself inside the shell to keep from drying out.