Sunday, June 15, 2014

HOW TO COMPLETELY RUIN A GUY'S FATHER'S DAY

While exploring the beach at Schmitz Park I discovered a Moon Snail (common event) that was almost completely above the surface...only a little buried in the sand.  I picked it up to show some of the beach goers and do some natural history.....geeze I'm a ham.
Upon lifting the snail I quickly noticed that something was hanging out from the mantle....some little pink thing that I had not seen before.....It stuck me that it was not likely the mouth, but I checked around for clams in the area and found none...but I did find another Moon Snail directly under the location where the first one was before I picked it up......BRAIN FLASH.... this is a male Moon Snail and that little pink thing is his penis.....I just broke up a love affair in the sand.  This poor guy just missed his chance to become a father on father's day because of me......how embarrassing.  The plus side of all this privacy invasion is that I had finally, after 40 years, found a Moon Snail that I could definitely sex as a male.  I could sex females before because I caught them in the act of laying eggs which males, of course, don't do.
So below are a series of images....first one is how I found the Moon Snail;  second one of the Moon Snails penis and lastly the pair, male and female side by side....and no doubt not happy with me.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY....DADS...evidently you had better luck than the Moon Snail.