Head to head
Dog Whelk vs Murex Snail
Dog Whelk
VS Murex Snail
The dog whelk of northeast Atlantic shores and the murex snails of warm seas belong to the same family, the Muricidae, and share a taste for drilling into other shellfish.
| Dog Whelk | Murex Snail | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Nucella lapillus | Muricidae (a family of many species) |
| Diet | Mainly barnacles and mussels, which it drills into or prises open | Other molluscs and small invertebrates, subdued by drilling through their shells |
| Hunting method | Bores a small hole using its rasping tongue and an acid secretion, then feeds through the hole | Drills through the shells of other molluscs using a rasping, tooth-covered tongue called a radula |
| Shell | White, yellow, orange, or banded brown, with the colour depending partly on diet | Typically an elaborate shell with spines, frills, or other ornate projections |
| Purple dye | Was once used to make a purple dye, as it produces a fluid that turns purple in the light | Certain species were the source of Tyrian purple, an intensely prized dye needing thousands of snails for a small quantity |
| Pollution or impact | Populations crashed when the antifouling chemical TBT caused females to develop male characteristics, and recovered after TBT was banned | Active predators that can have a meaningful impact on the shellfish beds and reef communities they inhabit |
| Habitat and range | Rocky shores of the northeast Atlantic, from Norway and Iceland south to Portugal, and on the northwest Atlantic coast | Intertidal and shallow subtidal habitat in temperate and tropical waters worldwide |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, and recovering since the TBT ban | Least Concern |
Dog Whelk vs Murex Snail: common questions
How do both snails eat shellfish?
Both drill through the shells of their prey using a rasping, tooth-covered tongue, then feed through the hole.
What is Tyrian purple?
An intensely prized ancient dye made from the mucus of certain murex snails, which needed thousands of snails to produce a small quantity.
What did TBT do to dog whelks?
The antifouling chemical caused females to develop male characteristics and stopped them breeding, so many populations crashed.