The Coolest... umm... well... hitchhiker ever!

[BiochemRobyn]

Well, I got another interesting hitchhiker, but the difference is that I bought this one.... :dance:

A VERY special thanks goes out to Rain (and Fritz too) for letting me take her favorite item in the tank!

I have to admit he's the coolest snail... um.... well... konk?... thing that I have ever seen.

What is so amazing is that furry projections come out attached to a thin membrane that covers his shell. But if you touch him, the whole membrane recedes and his shiny shell is visible.

Has anyone seen one of these before and can anyone tell me what he is?

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f4867d04aa.jpg

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f486976e8b.jpg

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f486b0271e.jpg

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f4874672a0.jpg

[BiochemRobyn]

Here's some bad close-ups:

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f486c82583.jpg

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f486e16056.jpg

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f4872c1e09.jpg


And some more pictures, one of which I really tried to get a pic of that amazing spotted shell:

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f48713f002.jpg

http://www.tcmas.org/forums/imagehosting/150460f486f9cb8d.jpg

[storrisch]

that is a cowrie isnt it?

[smeese]

I would say yes to Cowrie but I have been wrong.

[coldwaterreefer]

deer cowrie

[BiochemRobyn]

Here are some sites/pictures about deer cowrie:

http://thumb10.webshots.net/s/thumb2/6/99/98/8869998QfLzdCQIGe_th.jpg (http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1008869998000589330QfLzdCQIGe)

http://oceanica.cofc.edu/shellguide/shells/deercowrie.htm


Looks like you guys may be right, although the phenotype of mine is slightly different (the leather-looking projections rather then spikes), so I think that it may be a similar type of cowrie.

When I got up this morning he was snuggled in the upper corner of the tank in the area that I usually feed my fish or snails nori, so I think he looks pretty content.

[REEFSTOCK]

Disclamer:
Robyn got the "No guarantee" speech when she asked for it, since we had not positively IDed it.

That being said, we have had it since October and it has been with LPS and Softies for 5 months now and the only thing we have seen it eat is algae.
Its sweet to give it a poke and watch this shiny shell come out as its flesh unwraps from around it!

It came as a hitchicker on a mari-cultured acro. Too cool.