Tonna canaliculata

Tonna canaliculata is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tonnidae, the tun shells.^[2]

Tonna canaliculata
A live species of Tonna canaliculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Littorinimorpha
Family:	Tonnidae
Genus:	Tonna
Species:	T. canaliculata
Binomial name
Tonna canaliculata (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Synonyms[2]
Buccinum galea Wood, 1825 Buccinum olearium Bruguière, 1789 Buccinum olearium Dillwyn, 1817 Bulla canaliculata Linnaeus, 1758 Cadium olearium Link, 1807 Cadus cepa Röding, 1798 Dolium cepa Martini, 1777 Dolium marmoreum Schröter in Martini, 1788

Description

This type of sea snail is distinguished from many others by the fact that its fleshy foot is so much larger than its shell. As with land snails, this gastropod ("stomach-footed") secretes mucus which helps it glide across the bottom.

Its shell length varies between 30 mm and 145 mm., with its long siphon (for respiration) and tentacles (with eyes at their base) clearly visible. They are known for their thin shells. They are night predators and are usually seen in sandy areas, feeding on bivalve molluscs (clams, oysters, mussels and scallops) and sea cucumbers.

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Indo-Pacific.