ID this snail / slug / conch

erik7281 · 02/01/2015, 10:13 PM

Please help me identify the species of this animal. Its shell is about 4 inches big and it has a yellow to orange slug or hare inside. If it helps, I got him from a beach in Southern California. Thanks

Crooked Reef · 02/01/2015, 10:52 PM

Kellet's whelk. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelletia_kelletii

erik7281 · 02/01/2015, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crooked Reef

Kellet's whelk. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelletia_kelletii

Can I keep a Kellet's whelk a reef tank? Is it safe? Is it toxic as some hares may be?

Crooked Reef · 02/02/2015, 11:00 AM

Not toxic to my knowledge, at least not venomous anyway and it is a commercial food source for humans so I doubt it is poisonous. The issue you will have is that it is a cooler water animal. It won't survive long in the elevated temperatures of the reef tank. It needs around 60-65 degree water to thrive. It is also a predatory whelk. It will eat other snails, crabs, shrimp, worms and maybe even small fish that have bedded down for the night. I personally wouldn't recommend even trying it.

02/01/2015, 10:52 PM	#2
Crooked Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,765	Kellet's whelk. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelletia_kelletii __________________ “In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank.

02/02/2015, 11:00 AM	#4
Crooked Reef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1,765	Not toxic to my knowledge, at least not venomous anyway and it is a commercial food source for humans so I doubt it is poisonous. The issue you will have is that it is a cooler water animal. It won't survive long in the elevated temperatures of the reef tank. It needs around 60-65 degree water to thrive. It is also a predatory whelk. It will eat other snails, crabs, shrimp, worms and maybe even small fish that have bedded down for the night. I personally wouldn't recommend even trying it. __________________ “In wine there is wisdom; in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef. Biocube 29 lionfish tank. Mantis tank.