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The Shell Museum's Own Bone-eating Snails

  • Writer: José H. Leal
    José H. Leal
  • Nov 16, 2018
  • 1 min read


Rubyspira osteovora

This shell of the bone-eating snail Rubyspira osteovora Johnson et al., 2010 is part of the National Shell Museum collection, catalogue number BMSM 20687. It was retrieved, in March 2009, by Robert Vrijenhoek & Sharon Johnson, both of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), using their Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts at the Ruby whale fall, at 2,894 m (about 9,495 ft). It measures about 40 mm, and was donated to the Museum by Robert Vrijenhoek for display in our “Deep-sea Mollusks” exhibit (check it out!). Support the great work done at the National Shell Museum Collection Department by donating today.


 
 
 

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