Flirting with Danger?

In this photo, taken at one of the Museum's Live Tanks, an inch-long Tampa Bay Top Snail (Calliostoma tampaense) is seen hitching a ride on the operculum (or "trapdoor") of a large Horse Conch (Triplofusus giganteus). Horse Conchs are active predators, feeding mostly on other large mollusks. The Horse Conch in this photo, however, is probably well-fed and satiated, so that the top snail can safely enjoy the rest of the ride without becoming the conch's mid-afternoon snack! Read more about local mollusks in our Southwest Florida Shell Guide.