Invertebrate
Janthina janthina
Janthina janthinaAlso known as Violet Sea-Snail, Common Violet Snail, Large Violet Snail, Purple Storm Snail
Violet sea-snails float upside down suspended from durable bubble rafts they construct by trapping air bubbles within specialized mucus. Drifting passively with surface currents across tropical and temperate oceans, they graze voraciously on pelagic cnidarians that share the neuston layer. If detached from their buoyancy rafts, adults cannot swim and sink helplessly into deep waters where they perish.
PelagicMarineInvertebrate
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyBy-the-wind sailor, Blue button, Portuguese man o' war
Predators
- Pelagic seabirds
- Loggerhead sea turtle
- Ocean sunfish
ThreatsOcean acidification, marine plastic pollution, and storm stranding
HabitatsOpen ocean surface waters in tropical and subtropical regions
Life span1–2 years
Classification
- FamilyEpitoniidae
- SpeciesJanthina janthina
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Beachcombing: Scan high-tide drift lines after strong onshore winds for freshly stranded purple shells.
- Shell Handling: Exercise extreme care when picking up shells, as the ultra-thin walls break easily.
Prey (c) yakafaucon, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Prey (c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · cc-by
Competitor (c) Sylke Rohrlach, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Prey Bruce Moravchik (NOAA) / Public domain · cc0
Close Relative (c) Saryu Mae 前 朝琉, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Saryu Mae 前 朝琉 · cc-by
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