| |
Main
Date: 17 Apr 2006 17:45:47
From: Pat
Subject: Snails-What are they doing
|
Hi folks, Last week I picked up 2 very large(3" or so in diameter, just a bit smaller than a baseball I'd say) turbo snails. One of the snails seems to want to eat algae and such off my glass, the other seems more interested in playing football with the other snail. He crawls on the other snail and tackles him and then stays attached to his back. Seems like the weight is too much for the other snail so they just lay there together for a bit. I've done what I could to break up the interaction and they do go their separate ways for a bit, but it seems this is what they wish to do. Just curious what they are attempting(some kind of mating ritual)...fighting?...sumo snail wrestling?...I dunno, should I discourage this tomfoolery. Side note: Looking for a good hitchhiker id site...I have many little things(too small to photograph with my POS camera) prolly 1/4" long that swim with a spiral motion. They only come out at night. Also only coming out at night are some long(2-3") very thin tentacle(maybe a worm too?) white things...they come from everywhere live rock crevices, substrate...when you shine the light on them they creep back to their origin. Not sure if I'm seeing the whole creature or just a tentacle. TIA Pat
|
|
| |
Date: 18 Apr 2006 08:14:15
From: Wilbur Slice
Subject: Re: Snails-What are they doing
|
On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 17:45:47 GMT, Pat <ozman213@hotmail.com > wrote: >Hi folks, > >Last week I picked up 2 very large(3" or so in diameter, just a bit >smaller than a baseball I'd say) turbo snails. One of the snails seems >to want to eat algae and such off my glass, the other seems more >interested in playing football with the other snail. He crawls on the >other snail and tackles him and then stays attached to his back. Seems >like the weight is too much for the other snail so they just lay there >together for a bit. I've done what I could to break up the interaction >and they do go their separate ways for a bit, but it seems this is what >they wish to do. Just curious what they are attempting(some kind of >mating ritual)...fighting?...sumo snail wrestling?...I dunno, should I >discourage this tomfoolery. > >Side note: Looking for a good hitchhiker id site...I have many little >things(too small to photograph with my POS camera) prolly 1/4" long that >swim with a spiral motion. They only come out at night. Also only >coming out at night are some long(2-3") very thin tentacle(maybe a worm >too?) white things...they come from everywhere live rock crevices, >substrate...when you shine the light on them they creep back to their >origin. Not sure if I'm seeing the whole creature or just a tentacle. Those tentacle things sound like the long, skinny arms of brittle stars. They hide under the rocks and you almost never see their bodies, but they sneak out at night sometimes, and mine will also wave their appendages around when I put food in the tank.
|
| |
Date: 17 Apr 2006 19:51:49
From: Wayne Sallee
Subject: Re: Snails-What are they doing
|
Could be mating, or just cleaning off the shell of the other snail. Here in the store I've found it humorous how the regular turbo snails will often get on the back of the giant turbo snails, so the giant turbo snails will crawl up just above the water where the regular turbo snails will eventually let go and drop off, then the giant turbo snails will go back into the water. Wayne Sallee Wayne's Pets Wayne@WaynesPets.com Pat wrote on 4/17/2006 1:45 PM: > Hi folks, > > Last week I picked up 2 very large(3" or so in diameter, just a bit > smaller than a baseball I'd say) turbo snails. One of the snails seems > to want to eat algae and such off my glass, the other seems more > interested in playing football with the other snail. He crawls on the > other snail and tackles him and then stays attached to his back. Seems > like the weight is too much for the other snail so they just lay there > together for a bit. I've done what I could to break up the interaction > and they do go their separate ways for a bit, but it seems this is what > they wish to do. Just curious what they are attempting(some kind of > mating ritual)...fighting?...sumo snail wrestling?...I dunno, should I > discourage this tomfoolery. > > Side note: Looking for a good hitchhiker id site...I have many little > things(too small to photograph with my POS camera) prolly 1/4" long that > swim with a spiral motion. They only come out at night. Also only > coming out at night are some long(2-3") very thin tentacle(maybe a worm > too?) white things...they come from everywhere live rock crevices, > substrate...when you shine the light on them they creep back to their > origin. Not sure if I'm seeing the whole creature or just a tentacle. > > TIA > Pat
|
|