Cart-rut shell egg mass

A dried-up egg mass of a marine snail. They were a cluster of pale pink papery ovoid capsules with flat tops. Each capsule would have been about 10 mm tall.
Seen washed-up on the beach - intertidal zone- southern coast of Victoria.
The snail has a shell with deep ridges and grooves that resemble the ruts made by a cart, hence the name 'cart-rut shell".

comments (7)

Christine Young

Lion

Cool find, Leuba! Posted 3 years ago

RMFelix

Lion

Beautiful! Posted 3 years ago

Calbost Niel

Lion

Amazing info Leuba Posted 3 years ago
1. Leuba Ridgway
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks everyone. I've only seen photos of these before now. It was a pity that I couldn't see them in situ - still I am glad I got to see it at all.
  The snail itself makes an interesting read. Posted 3 years ago, modified 3 years ago

Barry

Lion

Very cool - amazing what strange living things inhabit our planet. Posted 3 years ago
1. Leuba Ridgway
  
  Lion
  
  They make the planet a magnificent place to be in ! We, humans, are so lucky.
  Posted 3 years ago

Mark Ridgway

Lion

Ooh.. whose hand is that lol.
Great researching.. I never thought you would find it. Posted 3 years ago

The Cart-Rut Shell

''Dicathais'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, the rock snails. This genus is monotypic; the only species in it is ''Dicathais orbita'', common name the white rock shell or cart-rut shell, found round the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

Info 2 0

Similar species: Neogastropoda

Species identified by Leuba Ridgway