> While thumbing through "Shells of Britain and Europe" I came across these
> two entries: Tonna galea and Galeodea echinphora both contain sulfuric acid
> in their saliva. The note goes on to say that the acid helps in dissolving
> the shell of what ever they are eating.
Tonnoideans are generally fond of echinoids, so acid is quite useful for them as predators.
Acid or chelating agents may be used by animals to bore into rock and shell, but I don't remember full details offhand.
Dr. David Campbell
Old Seashells
University of Alabama
Biodiversity & Systematics
Dept. Biological Sciences
Box 870345
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0345 USA
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That is Uncle Joe, taken in the masonic regalia of a Grand Exalted Periwinkle of the Mystic Order of Whelks-P.G. Wodehouse, Romance at Droitgate Spa
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