Juergen Freund / X-ray of shell of the Venus Comb Murex {Murex pecten}

Nick Upton / Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) from Atlantic Ocean. Cornwall, England, UK. September.

Chris Mattison / Rare purple form of Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) on the shore at Nash Point, Glamorgan.

Chris Mattison / Rare purple form of Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) resting on a colony of honeycomb worms (Sabellaria alveolata) on the shore at Nash Point, Glamorgan.

Robert Thompson / Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) on rock. Mill Quarter Bay, Killard Point National Nature Reserve, Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland. February.

Robert Thompson / Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) and Common barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) on rock. Mill Quarter Bay, Killard Point National Nature Reserve, Strangford, County Down, Northern Ireland. February.

Constantinos Petrinos / Caltrop murex (Murex Tribulus) laying their egg masses on muddy seafloor of the Lembeh Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Martin Gabriel / Woodcock murex snail (Murex scolopax), its aperture locked with operculum, Gulf of Oman, Sultanate of Oman, January, CROPPED

Nick Upton / Group of Dog whelks (Nucella lapillus) in an intertidal rock crevice among Acorn barnacles (Balanus perforatus) and Beadlet anemones (Actinia equina), Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Dog whelk egg capsules (Nucella lapillus) with eggs visible inside in a crevice among intertidal rocks, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) egg capsules surrounded by a mat of Crumb-of-bread sponge (Hymeniacidon perlevis) on exposed intertidal rocks, Cornwall, UK, April.

Robin Chittenden / Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) with Barnacles (Thoracica) Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) Brittany, France. August 2014

MYN / Carsten Krieger / Dogwhelk (Nucella lapillus) from rock pool, County Clare, Republic of Ireland. August. Meetyourneighbours.net project

Nick Upton / European oyster drill / Sting winkle (Ocenebra erinacea) a pest of oyster beds, on rocks low on the shore alongside Acorn barnacles (Balanus perforatus) exposed at low tide, with seaweed, rock pools a...

Nick Upton / Dog whelks (Nucella lapillus) and clusters of their eggs attached to a rock exposed at low tide, Rhossili, The Gower peninsula, Wales, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus), a predator of barnacles, on rocks encrusted with Common barnacles / Northern rock barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) exposed at low tide, with seaweed, a rock pool and th...

Ingo Arndt / Ramose Murex (Chicoreus ramosus), Meeresmuseum Ozeania, Riedenburg, Germany, sequence 2 of 2

Ingo Arndt / Venus Comb Murex (Murex pecten), Meeresmuseum Ozeania, Riedenburg, Germany

Ingo Arndt / Murex Snail (Chicoreus spectrum) from Brazil, Meeresmuseum Ozeania, Riedenburg, Germany

Ingo Arndt / Venus Comb Murex (Murex pecten), Meeresmuseum Ozeania, Riedenburg, Germany

Philippe Clement / Sting winkle / Oyster drill / Hedgehog Murex (Ocenebra erinacea) shells on beach, Brittany, France

Philippe Clement / Sting winkle / Oyster drill / Hedgehog Murex (Ocenebra erinacea) shells, Brittany, France

Philippe Clement / Sting winkle / Oyster drill / Hedgehog Murex (Ocenebra erinacea) on beach, Brittany, France

Juan Carlos Munoz / Catch of murex sea snails (Muricidae), Puerto de Chipiona, Costa de la Luz, Cadiz, Andalucia, Spain, March 2008

Philippe Clement / Oyster drill / Sting winkle / Hedgehog murex (Ocenebra erinacea) shell, Mediterranean, France

Philippe Clement / Oyster drill / Sting winkle / Hedgehog Murex (Ocenebra erinacea) shell on beach, Mediterranean, France

Philippe Clement / Oyster drill / Sting winkle / Hedgehog Murex (Ocenebra erinacea) shell showing aperture, Mediterranean, France

Juergen Freund / Photograph and X-ray of shell of the Alabaster murex {Murex alabaster}

Juergen Freund / Photograph and X-ray of the shell of the Venus comb murex {Murex pecten}

Juergen Freund / X-ray of the shell of the Alabaster murex {Murex alabaster}

Juergen Freund / Shell of the Venus Comb Murex {Murex pecten}

Juergen Freund / Shell of the Alabaster murex {Murex alabaster}

GEORGETTE DOUWMA / Murex / Rock shell (Chicoreus sp.) Andaman Sea, Thailand.

Juergen Freund / Alabaster murex snail shell {Murex alabaster} specimen Philippines

Juergen Freund / Sea snail shell {Murex pecton} specimen Philippines

GEORGETTE DOUWMA / Alabaster murex showing operculum cover {Murex alabaster} Andaman Sea Thailand

Ingo Arndt / Ramose Murex (Chicoreus ramosus), Meeresmuseum Ozeania, Riedenburg, Germany, sequence 1 of 2

GEORGETTE DOUWMA / Alabaster murex showing operculum cover {Murex alabaster} Andaman Sea Thailand

Sergio Hanquet / Trumpet Shell (Charonia lampas) on algae, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean.

Sergio Hanquet / Blue starfish (Coscinasterias tenuispina) arms capturing Red-mouthed rock-shell (Stramonita haemastoma), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean.

Sergio Hanquet / Blue starfish (Coscinasterias tenuispina) arm capturing Red-mouthed rock-shell (Stramonita haemastoma), Tenerife, Canary Islands, Atlantic Ocean.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Two Rock snails (Thais haemastoma floridana) portrait, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and Aquarium.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Rock snail (Thais haemastoma floridana) ventral view, body an shell, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and Aquarium.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Giant Eastern murex (Hexaplex fulvescens) on black background, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and Aquarium.

Shane Gross / Blue topsnail (Calliostoma ligatum) and other snails feeding on the eggs of the Leafy hornmouth (Ceratostoma foliatum), Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, Pacific Ocean.

Franco Banfi / Triton's horn (Charonia lampas), protected species, Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal, Atlantic Ocean

Francisco Marquez / Chief rocksnail (Hexaplex prínceps) on white background, Islas Marias Archipelago, Marias Biosphere Reserve, Mexico.

David Hall / A reproductive aggregation of Frilled dogwinkles (Nucella lamellosa) note the yellow egg cases, top centre, Agamemnon Channel, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada. February.

Shane Gross / A True tulip (Fasciolaria tulipa) snail at night, Eleuthera, Bahamas. February.