Gastropod Sanibel Island, FL Dec. 15, 2009 I got out on the beach on Sanibel Island early one morning at low tide and was amazed at the amount of animals that emerged from the sandbar. This Florida Fighting Conch had been buried in the sand and came out to feed. I had to laugh when I zoomed in on it with my macro lens and saw the little eyes on the end of the stalks and the long, brown proboscis. The "fighting" part of its name comes from the way the foot thrashes around if the animal gets turned upside down or it it picked up. I never knew a "snail" could move so fast!
I had to laugh when I saw this Florida Fighting Conch emerge from the sand at low tide. It was so comical-looking with its long proboscis and eyestalks.
The operculum of a closed Horse conch.
