Nucella lamellosa

The Wrinkled or The Purple Whelk

Phylum Mollusca
Class Gastropoda
Order Neogastropda
Family Thaididae
Genus Nucella
Species lamellosa

Description: 4 to 7 cm long, 2 to 4 cm wide; shell white, purplish, gray, brown, yellow or orangish; 7 whorls with frilly ridges and spiny cords; exposed areas or those with high wave action can smooth the shell making identification of this species difficult.

Habitat: Found on pilings and rocks in intertidal areas.

Natural History: This snail feeds on small bivalves, oysters, barnacles, ascidian colonies, and the eggs of its own species. In late winter and early spring, these snails lay clusters of egg capsules on rocks and pilings. These capsules, which contain many eggs, are attached to stalks. The first to hatch will eat those that have not yet emerged.