Acanthina angelica
is a common
predatory snail in the northern Gulf of California.
The spine on the lip of the shell is used to push through the
opercular plates of barnacles. The spine is then removed, and
the snail uses its radula to eat the barnacle. The induced "bent"
morph of the barnacle Chthamalus anisopoma is more resistant
to attack of this kind.
A. angelica attacking barnacles (Chthamalus
anisopoma) at low tide at Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico.
Note the bent morphs of the barnacle in the foreground.
Acanthina angelica
A. angelica attacking barnacles (Chthamalus
anisopoma) at low tide at Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico.
Note the bent morphs of the barnacle in the foreground.