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A woman in Florida loves collecting shells. But while walking on the beach, she is suddenly “attacked” by a snail.
Miami – Are snails dangerous? When you think of common specimens in this country, the first thing that probably comes to mind is a trail of slime that you could slip on. Or even poisonous snails. But a video from the social TikTok puts a species of snail from the Gulf of Mexico in the spotlight that radiates danger in a completely different way: a Florida swordtail snail.
Florida fencing snail: Users celebrate animal on Tiktok
In the video, which has been viewed over 1.6 million times, you can see how the swordsman snail (also known as the large swordsman snail, winged snail or giant winged snail, Strombus alatus) apparently tries to defend itself against a mussel collector. It does this with the help of the operculum, which in the case of the swordsman snail is reinforced with a central rib.
The operculum is the “lid” made of horn or lime. Some species of snails use this to close their shells. The swordsman snail uses the operculum to move jerkily on the sea floor. This movement is similar to the movement of a fencer when lunging. In the video you can see how the snail probably wants to move, and its “sword” “attacks” the TikToker. A sad animal story also recently occurred in the USA, where the biggest dog in the world died. Also a severely injured fawn recently stirred emotions.
Loud meerwasser-lexikon.de The swordsman snails are found in the western Atlantic from North Carolina to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana, Texas and the east coast of Mexico. They are 7 to 11.2 centimeters long and weigh about 69 grams. Their diet consists mainly of algae or dead organic material. The species was first identified in 1791. IPPEN.MEDIA asked the experts of the Malacology Department of the Senckenberg Society for Natural Research in Frankfurt am Main to classify the video, but initially received no response.
Commentators on Tiktok admire fencing snail
Many of the commentators on TikTok are celebrating the snail, it is by far the most popular video of the poster, who otherwise collects shells with nothing inside. One user writes: “Hello, my name is Montoya, you took me out of the water, prepare for your death.” This is a reference to the cult film “The Princess Bride”, in which a character, a fencer, utters a similar sentence to another character. Another comment: “I only have one claw, but I’m not afraid to use it!”
Another TikTok user believes he has discovered “a new Pokémon” at this strange sight. Others also point out the wide-set eyes: Given these, one “cannot take the fencer seriously”.
Users report “scars” after encounters with fencing snails
The TikToker is not the only one who has encountered such an animal. Another user also reported: “I have a scar on my arm from one of those.” Another user also expressed a similar opinion: “They are my nightmare.” And another comment continued: “I was never afraid of mussels until I saw this evil knife mussel.” In another beach video, meanwhile, nightmarish worms could be admired. (cgsc)
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