Spiral Melongena

Although spiral melongena snails are pretty common on our shores and possess a bright orange shell, they are rarely spotted when alive! This is because live spiral melongena snails have tiny hairs on their shell which collect mud and other sediment, helping them to camouflage seamlessly with the surrounding mud and sand. Their beautiful orange shell is only revealed upon the death of the snail, when their hairs drop off and they are no longer covered in dull sediment.

Importantly, the empty shells of dead spiral melongena snails are still valuable to other organisms living in the intertidal zone! For example, hermit crabs, which do not make their own shell, frequently re-use these empty shells as their homes to defend themselves against predators.