Species: Lirabuccinum dirum (Reeve, 1846)
Common Name
L. dirum common names are the dire whelk, spindle snail, or spindle shell. Other known names include Searlesia dira or Kelletia dira.
Description
L. dirum is a marine snail with a spirally coiled shell that the body withdraws into. The shell of this snail can reach about 3 cm in length, may reach larger in bays.
Habitat
L. dirum lives on rocky shores of the open coast and lower edge of gravel or mud bays like the Puget Sound. Intertidal zone
Range
L. dirum range from Alaska to California. Most abundant in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon.
Behavoir
L. dirum is a surprisingly fast snail that is a scavenger, feeding on carrion such as dead crabs of fishes. It also preys on injured animals such as limpets and chitons. Proboscis can be extended full length of shell and can be used to feed on worms in their tubes.
Reproduction
Females deposit egg capsules in clusters on rocks from September to May. Most of the eggs in a cluster ("nurse eggs") do not develop fully and are used as food by the larvae that do develop.
Work Cited
Kozloff, E. N. (1993). Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast, an Illustrated Guide to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. (pp. 132). Seattle, WA. University of Washington Press.
Lamb, A. and Hanby, B. P. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates, Seaweeds, and Selected Fishes. (pp. 222). Maderia Park, B. C. Harbour Publishing.
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