Turban Snail
Scientific name: Turbo marmoratus
Click to enlarge image
Turban Snail, Turbo undulata
Image: Dr Isobel Bennett
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Turbo
- Species
- marmoratus
- Subfamily
- Turbininae
- Family
- Turbinidae
- Super Family
- Trochoidea
- Order
- Trochida
- Subclass
- Vetigastropoda
- Class
- Gastropoda
- Phylum
- Mollusca
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 5 cm
Identification
Called a Turban Snail because of the pattern and shape of its shell, this medium- to large-sized snail feeds on algae on rock platforms.
Habitat
Turban snails live on intertidal rock platforms to a depth of 10 metres.
Distribution
Turban Snails are found in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania
Other behaviours and adaptations
If you lift a Turban Snail from its position on the rock, the animal will retreat inside its shell and close the 'door' or operculum. The operculum is a hard protective covering that grows with the snail. When the snail dies, these round white 'shells' with brown whorls on the underside are often found washed up on beaches and used for jewelry.
