-This little inconspicuous gastropod is very good in hiding himself from predators, most of the times you pass by it and would not know it was there, unless you can distinguish it's shape from the surroundings.
-But flip it over and you reveal the most beautiful door (operculum)in the known universe...This circular orange operculum is what protects the shell from hungry fish but it's not octopus proof. I have seen octopus sucking the snail out and leaving only the shell and operculum...here in Greece it is lucky to find it, and we call it "The eye of Neptune" amongst other names. On the other side you will see a perfect spiral on every operculum. In the tropics I have found an operculum that is more than 15cm in diameter!
-It is a pity to kill these snails for their operculum, but if I find it in the sea I collect it because I know that it died naturally, it won't be any use to any hermit crabs..as a tribute to the artist snail that makes these perfect spirals!
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