Wentletrap

Image: Steve Jurvetson

Proof yet again that nature is the best sculptor!

That's what happens when you have a billion years of experience.

Image: Jessica Lucia

Wentletraps are more than 600 species of snail belonging to the family Epitoniidae. They're found in all the seas and oceans of the world, from the tropics to the Arctic.

The biggest ones are over 10 cm (4 in) long though most are much smaller, the very titchiest reaching about 5 mm (0.2 in) in length.

Image: Ria Tan

A lot of them are as smooth as porcelain and white as a Greek statue though some have a splash of colour. Also, some are more... wentletrappy... than others. Which might be a good time to say what exactly that means.

'Wentletrap' is the Dutch word for spiral staircases. The most staircasey Wentletrap snails have a delicate ridge that spirals all the way up their shell. I can't imagine what tiny hammers and chisels a Greek sculptor would have needed to achieve the effect.

Image: Marine GEO

But nature isn't just the best sculptor, it's also a BRUTAL MURDERER.

At least some Wentletraps take up the red tooth and claw of nature and charge into the battle of life. In other words, they're carnivores.

Image: NOAA Photo Library
Hermit crab says, "finders, keepers"

These Wentletraps have been seen feeding on sea anemones and corals. A purple or pink dye secreted by their salivary glands may even serve as an anaesthetic to allow the snail to peacefully feed without their dinner leaping off the dinner table.

That's nature for you; it'll stab you in the heart but at least the knife looks nice.