A snail on my snail??

[rudijbriggs]

Hi all. So I noticed my snail acting weird a couple days ago and we even found him upside down at one point and we flipped him back over. Since then he has moved, but barely. Today I noticed something on him (See picture). It looks like it has its own shell and a little black thing comes out of it with black antennas (I couldn’t get a picture of the thing coming out unfortunately) What on earth is this?

 

[coralcoralcoral10]

I am new to this so don’t listen to me there are people with a lot of knowledge but it looks to me like stomatella. I could be wrong but I found some in a piece of coral. If it’s that it’s harmless.

 

[WheatToast]

I am new to this so don’t listen to me there are people with a lot of knowledge but it looks to me like stomatella. I could be wrong but I found some in a piece of coral. If it’s that it’s harmless.

Personally, I believe it is a limpet (note the volcano-like shell), also a harmless algae grazer.

 

[rudijbriggs]

Personally, I believe it is a limpet (note the volcano-like shell), also a harmless algae grazer.

I saw another post after I posted mine that was very similar and they also said limpet. So I suppose then I’m going with it being a limpet. I will keep an eye on it though. Even though it’s supposedly harmless, will it stay attached to my snail forever?

 

[WheatToast]

I saw another post after I posted mine that was very similar and they also said limpet. So I suppose then I’m going with it being a limpet. I will keep an eye on it though. Even though it’s supposedly harmless, will it stay attached to my snail forever?

Limpets, like most other snails, are capable of movement, though the larger snail’s shell would have to be flushed with your rockwork for an extended period of time for your limpet to move off. Pulling it off is not exactly an option since they are well known for their incredible ability to stick to solid objects (I remember a seashore book that recommended removal using a knife ).

 

[Isopod80]

Hipponix sp. (hoof snail) These snails are unique in the fact that they are sessile. Once attached to a surface they never move. They just feed on what is in reach with their proboscis. They're completely harmless. They're basically the snail version of a barnacle. Not an overly common hitchiker but when they are found, it's usually attached to the shell of a larger snail like yours.

 

[WheatToast]

Hipponix sp. (hoof snail) These snails are unique in the fact that they are sessile. Once attached to a surface they never move. They just feed on what is in reach with their proboscis. They're completely harmless. They're basically the snail version of a barnacle. Not an overly common hitchiker but when they are found, it's usually attached to the shell of a larger snail like yours.

You learn something new every day…