Velvet snail [Velutina velutina]
Description
Velvet snails are small sea snails of about 5 millimeters in length. They have a thin, glossy, and fragile shell, which is translucent and light yellow to reddish-brown in color. The common name 'velvet' comes from the velvety appearance of the animal's soft body part, which can be seen through the shell. They are found in the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, from Scandinavia to Brittany in France, and around Iceland. They live in shallow water, usually at depths of 0 to 20 meters and prefer to live on algae.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Mollusks
Mollusca
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Gastropods
Gastropoda
|
| Order |
Vetigastropoda
Vetigastropoda
|
| Family |
Velutinids
Velutinidae
|
| Genus |
Velvet Snails
Velutina
|