Aquatic Toilet Plungers to Invade Northwest Coast

Beach-goers in the Northwest can expect to see toilet plungers littering their beaches in the coming weeks.

Well, not actual toilet plungers, but it sure will look like it.

These odd-looking objects are the egg cases of the moon snail, a predatory, coast-dwelling mollusk.

When laying her eggs, the female moon snail turns upside down and secretes mucous along with the eggs themselves. Sand then adheres to the mucus and creates these unique cases.

Because of their rubber appearance and uncanny resemblance to a common household cleaning item, these cases are often mistaken for litter, but don’t throw them away! They hold the next generation of snails!

About 500,000 eggs can be found in a single egg case, and it takes approximately 6 weeks for the eggs to hatch. They emerge as larvae ready to begin hunting for food.

Equally as fascinating is the moon snail’s hunting method. As predators, moon snails hunt smaller mollusks, typically clams.

They find their prey by burrowing into the sand. When they find a clam, they use their foot to drag it to their mouth, which contains seven rows of teeth.

Then they use their teeth to make a drill hole at the base of the shell and eat the soft flesh inside.

Clams on the half shell! YUM!

Creatures like the moon snail make the coast a fascinating habitat. During your next beach trip, be sure to look for the moon snail and other amazing coastal wildlife!