- Description
- Only seven known species of the Pelican's Foot shell have been found, some of which are from the deep sea and rare. The Common Pelican's Foot is found in muddy gravel in the Western Atlantic, commonly from the Arctic Circle to Cape Cod, and less often in deep water as far south as North Carolina. Other species are found in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic waters.
- Like the Strombidae, (another family in the superfamily, Strombacea) the Aporrhaidae are actively carnivorous. Similarly, they are adapted to use their foot for kicking or lunging while escaping predators. The shell shape is rather unique, and unlike the Strombidae, the Aporrhaidae do not have movable eyes. Rather, their eyes are fixed at the base of each tentacle.
- Immature forms of Aporrhais lack the flaring lip with its characteristic spines, as shown here. They can easily be mistaken for other shells.
- Chenopus is a synonymous name for Aporrhais.
- Classification
- Class: Gastropoda
- Clade: Littorinimorpha
- Superfamily: Stromboidea
- Family: Aporrhaidae
- Single Genus
- Genus: Aporrhais (Chenopus)
Aporrhais occidentalis (Beck, 1836)
Common Pelican's Foot