Snail Identification- indigenous to Island in Bahamas

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mvortex1

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 23, 2004
Messages
3
Location
Valley Forge
My kids brought back some snail shells from an island in the Bahamas. When I found them in our bags when unpacking, I noticed that they had a sealed opening which immediately clued me in that they were most likely still alive. The kids thought they were just shells since they picked them up in the rocky trails very far from the beach in the middle of the island. I put them in a bowl with a small amount of water and sure enough, two of them are alive.

Because they were found so far from the beach, I imagine they are active during rainy periods. They are dark grey in color and the bodies are only about half an inch long with two protruding eyes. The shells are white with a hint of grey on the ends and sections with deeply ridge lines that wrap around. The average length of all is about an inch. The shells are very thick and strong which makes me think they must have a lot of minerals from salt water available.

Does anyone know what they may be, and if so what to keep them in and what to feed them? My kids feel bad and want to keep them alive and I would like to seem them succeed in their little project, of course after reading a few choice articles relating to the impact of introducing foreign species into a new environment.

I can take a pic and post it, these MUST be common because they were everywhere but I couldnt find on hit on google to help identify them

Thanks[/img]
 
Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com :)

mvortex1 said:
I can take a pic and post it, these MUST be common because they were everywhere but I couldnt find on hit on google to help identify them
Actually you would be suprised how difficult these types can be to ID. I would definately post a pic if you are able. There are not many snail than are SW by nature and also inhabit the land. The Eyes you describe could imply a strombus/conch of some kind though. A pic would tell for sure.

Cheers
Steve
 
I've found a link that matches the snails we found.

Click Here


If anyone can find any info on how these snails live, after viewing the images above, please pass it along. Thanks!
 
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