The dogwinkle (Thais lapillus) is a small shelled animal that we find on local beaches and can also be found on the other side of the Atlantic. It can vary in colour from white, to grey, to brownish, to orange. They prey on other intertidal animals including blue mussels, periwinkles, and barnacles. To feed on mussels or periwinkles the dogwinkle secretes an acid that softens the shell and then drills a circular hole into the shell using its radula, which is a structure similar to a chainsaw. The dogwinkle can then suck out its meal. Gross and cool all at the same time! When exploring the intertidal zone we find their pinkish-yellow egg capsules that look similar to rice grains attached to the underside of rocks and seaweed. After about 4 months crawling juveniles emerge.
Dogwinkles on the beach
An orange dogwinkle
Drill hole in a blue mussel
Drill hole in a periwinkle
Dogwinkle eggs on the underside of an intertidal rock.
