Trying to Decide...

[dwashbur]

When we found this guy at Les Davis a few days ago, I thought it was an Oregon Triton. But it doesn't have the hair thingies all over it, and after much study and fishing through Whelks to Whales and some of my other books, I've come to the conclusion that I really don't know what it is. It was a good 2 inches long and close to an inch high. Help?

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<img src="http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb13 ... snail1.jpg" width="800">
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<a href="http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb13 ... snail2.jpg" target="_blank">
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[John Rawlings]

I'm FAR from being an expert on snails, but I do know that not all Oregon Tritons are hairy and they can often be quite "bald".

Still, I don't think that is what is in your photos as the surface of the shell itself looks too smooth to me.

After digging through Andy Lamb and Bernie Hanby's book, Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest, I suspect that it may be one of the larger Whelk species common to the PNW, such as Neptunia smirnia, N. lyrata, N. pribiloffensis or N. stilesi, all of which grow as large as what you describe or even larger.

I'll e-mail Andy to see if he'd like to take a stab at it.....

- John

[Greg Jensen]

Looks like a large Nucella lamellosa. They get over 3 inches long and are highly variable in terms of their frills, color, and shell thickness.

[John Rawlings]

After reading Greg's post I did a quick "search" for Nucella lamellosa to learn some more and I found this site:

http://www.manandmollusc.net/Nucella-la ... llosa.html

It's amazing how much variation there is in this species!

- John

[dwashbur]

That was more or less my second choice, but I was kinda hoping it was something a little more exotic. Oh well. Thanks, all!

[Jan K]

Thank you all for expending my horizon ...

[pam norton]

Could it be the Leafy Hornmouth?

http://www.enature.org/fieldguides/deta ... rPageNum=2

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[dwashbur]

Could it be the Leafy Hornmouth?

http://www.enature.org/fieldguides/deta ... rPageNum=2

It doesn't have the wingy-thingies, "longitudinal flanges" as that page calls them, that the leafy hornmouth has. I think the consensus that it's Nucella lamellosa is likely correct.