A violet sea snail, Janthina prolongata, photographed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Africa. The snails's elongated foot fills most of t
A violet sea snail, Janthina prolongata, photographed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Africa. The snails's elongated foot fills most of the image, with its pale violet shell just visible at right. The foot is covered with a mass of tiny mucous-coated air bubbles which the snail constructs to give itself buoyancy. Attached to this bubble raft the snail floats upside down on the surface of the ocean, preying on jellyfish and ctenophores. Violet snails discharge a violet- coloured ink when disturbed, hence the name.
Size: 3661px × 2542px
Photo credit: © DR T.E. THOMPSON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: animal, invertebrates, janthina, mollusca, nature, prolongata, sea, snail, violet, wildlife, zoology
