>are you saying crabs had damaged it, or something else?
Although "crabbed" refers to "occupied by hermit crab", it is true
that many predatory crabs attack snails in a standard pattern-by
trying to break away a large notch in the shell back from the aperture
until they can grab the animal. If the snail survives, there will be
a distinctive scar; if not, a distinctive breakage pattern on the
empty shell.
Hermit crab occupation can also leave distinctive traces, especially
in terms of the types and location of epibionts on the shell.
--
Dr. David Campbell
Collections Assistant
The Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca NY 14850
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------