brokewithabachelor's
Periwinkle
This is a short clip of a periwinkle on my boyfriend's hand. We were at the salt march on Wrightsville beach on Feb 19 around 3pm (this was just before low tide which was at 3:40)
I believe the scientific name of this periwinkle is Littoraria irrorata, or the Marsh Periwinkle is another common name.
Periwinkles' shells are often white or light in color because of their exposure to the sun, the light color reflects the light helping to keep them cool. Their shells often are also structured (have ridges) this provides more surface area again helping to keep them cool in the sun. During high tide periwinkles climb up the grass in the marsh, this is done so they can get up out of the water.
Periwinkles are the only known species to practice fungiculture (source below) Periwinkles produce wounds and maintain them on the marsh grass which are then infected by fungi. The fungi that infects the grass is then what these snails feed on.
Fungiculture source : Brian R. Silliman , Steven Y. Newell (2003). "Fungal farming in a snail". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (26): 15643–15648.
Periwinkle
This is a short clip of a periwinkle on my boyfriend's hand. We were at the salt march on Wrightsville beach on Feb 19 around 3pm (this was just before low tide which was at 3:40)
I believe the scientific name of this periwinkle is Littoraria irrorata, or the Marsh Periwinkle is another common name.
Periwinkles' shells are often white or light in color because of their exposure to the sun, the light color reflects the light helping to keep them cool. Their shells often are also structured (have ridges) this provides more surface area again helping to keep them cool in the sun. During high tide periwinkles climb up the grass in the marsh, this is done so they can get up out of the water.
Periwinkles are the only known species to practice fungiculture (source below) Periwinkles produce wounds and maintain them on the marsh grass which are then infected by fungi. The fungi that infects the grass is then what these snails feed on.
Fungiculture source : Brian R. Silliman , Steven Y. Newell (2003). "Fungal farming in a snail". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100 (26): 15643–15648.