Janthina janthina (Linnaeus, 1758)
18.5mm

Janthina janthina lives pelagically at the surface of the ocean, riding the underside of a bubble raft it creates. It feeds on the floating siphonophores Portuguese man-o-war (Physalia physalis) and Velella velella. At the mercy of the wind, they occasionally wash ashore on beaches, and that is where the purple shells can be found. If you find them soon enough, you can plop them back into the water to take photos. The former family Janthinidae was recently moved into the Epitoniidae.

Created 2 January 2018
Updated 12 November 2020

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