Nucella emarginata

The Rock Whelk

Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Subclass Prosobranchia
Order Neogastropoda
Suborder Rachiglossa
Family Nucellidae 
Genus Nucella
Species emarginata

Description: Up to 2.5 cm in length; ribs are white with orange, brown, gray, yellow or black furrows; shell has a large body whorl with a broad, conical spire; strongly developed ridges that alternate between thick and thin; outer lip flares slightly; shell margin wavy.

Habitat: Found on rocks, in crevices and living among mussels.

Natural History: Its diet consists of mussels, barnacles and limpets. It feeds by using a secretion from the foot to soften its prey shell, then it drills a hole into the shell and inserts its proboscis through the hole to devour the soft tissues. Egg capsules are vulnerable to predators, such as Hemigrapsis spp. and Idotea wosnesenskii. New hatchlings spend all their time finding a protective shelter instead of feeding. They are able to survive 120 days without food.