What kind of creature lived in this shell?

How big can they get?

Where do they live?

This shell was home to an enormous sea snail called the Syrinx aruanus or Australian trumpet, which is the world's largest snail. Unlike hermit crabs, a snail's shell is part of its body, and is formed by an organ called the mantle.

The Australian trumpet has been known to grow to 36 inches long, weighing almost 40 pounds. They feed mostly on polychaete worms, and live in the intertidal zones of Northern Australia and environs.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• 5 Sensational Sea Snail Species
• Marine Life [Ocean Today]
• Syrinx aruanus (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
• Giant Conch