Washed Ashore

A beautifully strange creature washed up on the shore - is it a seashell, hermit crab, jellyfish? It would be great if someone could ID it...

Update: Thanks to Nuytsia@Tas we've identified it: it's a Violet Snail (Janthina janthina), a fascinating creature that actually creates its own bubbly floatation device...

Galah, Szandor (D), deborahf, mad.melon (the girl who was dead) have particularly liked this photo

6 comments - The last ones

Jo Chen

I have no ID but the color is great.

5 years ago.

se_kwien

werde mich mal hier schlau machen, habe das naemlic gestern auch gesehen... nur ohne die, zugegeben schoenen "Schneckenhaeuser"

5 years ago.

Stiletto

Wow - what a find!

5 years ago.

Brenda Clarke

It sure is beautiful and a great shot too!

Thanks for sharing it in the Australian Fauna & Flora group.

5 years ago.

Ramjee Nagarajan

Hey, this is called the violet snail, the Janthina. They spend their entire life on water and rarely touches the bottom or shore! They float and travel round the globe on the ocean currents. You've caught one of these delicate shells after it must have gotten washed up onto beaches during storms. If you had picked up the shell when the animal inside was alive, you would have got yourself dyed in a pretty purple colour, which the animal uses for protection against its enemies.
Good photo. Where did you get this one?

5 years ago.

Tr1stero

Thank you for the insightful comment Ramjee!
I took this picture at the Royal National Park, just south of Sydney, Australia.

5 years ago.

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Washed Ashore