The Violet Sea Snail is a small ‘pelagic’ snail which means that it lives in the open sea away from the seabed and away from shores. However, sometimes after strong storms it may be found washed up on shores in the west and south-west of England. This snail is quite unusual because it spends most of its life floating on the surface of the open sea. To keep afloat it creates a raft of bubbles from its own mucus and then hangs head down from the mucus so it can feed.

The Violet Sea Snail has a spirally. paper thin shell that is around three centimetres in diameter. It has about five spirals on the shell which are also known as ‘whorls’. The shell is a violet and a pale purple colour and its body is also a violet colour. If you pick this snail up from the beach, you could well get purple dye on your fingers.

Female Violet Sea Snails make bubble mucous rafts to lay their eggs on and after they have laid the eggs, the females release the rafts into the open sea. As soon as the young snails hatch out, they make their own rafts of bubbles to keep afloat. Violet Sea Snails can travel hundred of miles floating on sea currents.

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