Invertebrates
Violet Sea Snail
Janthina janthina · also called purple sea snail, violet snail
After a storm, a violet sea snail washes up on the sand, its thin shell glowing the colour of a plum, a small stranded voyager from the open ocean.
Overview
The violet sea snail, Janthina janthina, is a drifting snail of warm and temperate oceans, floating upside down on a raft of bubbles it builds itself. Its violet shell, raft, and diet of jellyfish-like animals make it one of the most unusual snails in the world.
A snail that never touches the bottom
Instead of crawling on rock or sand, the violet sea snail spends its whole life suspended from its bubble raft at the surface of the open sea.
Status
Not Evaluated, but widespread.
Violet Sea Snail: common questions
How does the violet sea snail float?
It makes a raft of mucus-coated air bubbles and clings to it upside down, using it to float at the surface of the open sea.
What does it eat?
It eats drifting surface animals such as by-the-wind sailors and Portuguese men o' war.
Why does it release purple fluid?
It releases a cloud of purple fluid when disturbed, which may confuse or deter predators.
Where is the violet sea snail found?
It lives at the surface of warm and temperate oceans around the world, and sometimes drifts into cooler waters.