Scientific name:

Nucella lapillus

About:

A pointed snail-like shell, up to 4cm long. Dog Whelks live around the lower shore, where ever there are barnacles or mussels, its favourite food.

How to identify:

<p>Whelks are more pointed than periwinkles. The dog whelk is smaller than the common whelk, smoother than the netted whelk and more rounded than the oyster drill.</p>

Where:

Found all round our coasts.

Fantastic facts:

Feeds on mussels and barnacles by boring through their shells with its sharp proboscis.