Dog Whelk
NameDog Whelk
Scientific NameNucella lapillus
Common NameDog Whelk, Atlantic Dogwinkle
FamilyMuricidae
GenusNucella
SpeciesNucella lapillus
Geographic DistributionNorth Atlantic Ocean, including the coasts of Europe (from Norway to Portugal) and North America (from Labrador to New York).
Habitatintertidal
Shell Shapeconical
Average Size (mm)20
Identifying FeaturesRobust, thick shell; highly variable sculpture; often a tooth or denticles on the inner lip of the aperture; typically a short spire and wide aperture; operculum present. Known for its predatory drilling behavior on barnacles and mussels.
Raritycommon
Author Citation(Linnaeus, 1758)
Description
The Dog Whelk, *Nucella lapillus*, is a common predatory sea snail found in the North Atlantic. Its shell is typically robust, ovate-conical to trochiform, and highly variable in color and sculpture, ranging from smooth to strongly ridged. It is known for its carnivorous diet, primarily preying on barnacles and mussels by drilling a hole through their shells. The specimen in the image displays a conical shell with brownish-tan coloration and darker, somewhat irregular, spiral markings, resting on a sandy or gravelly substrate.
