Woman in awe of 'very large' rare find on Aussie beach: 'So interesting'
Amanda Mee was visiting the Queensland beach when she found the humongous sea snail which she said was bigger than anything she'd ever seen before.
A surprise discovery on the shores of a dog beach has left Aussies in awe with one woman admitting she has never seen anything like it after getting up close.
Queensland woman Amanda Mee was visiting Pallarenda dog beach in Townsville where she lives on Monday afternoon when she stumbled upon a large shell thought to belong to a sea snail — but what she saw next amazed her admitting it was "so interesting to watch".
"We originally thought it was a large shell so my partner decided he would try and pick it up and it moved," she told Yahoo News Australia.
"So he dug the sand out from around it and [a snail] emerged from its shell," she added admitting she was shocked to see a live snail inside.
Sea snails are often killed for their shells so to find a live one on the sand was a surprise. It was "interesting to watch" Amanda said, adding "it was very large" — roughly around a kilo.
Beach discovery identified as a bailer shell
Wondering what type of species it was, the Townsville woman posted on Facebook where she described it as having "a strange horn-looking head". The sea snail was quickly identified as a bailer, or baler, shell, specifically the northern species commonly found around the WA coast and across the Northern Territory coast to Queensland.
The bailer shell is a large marine mollusc that belongs to the gastropod family Volutidae (volute shells). Of the 200 species of volutes distributed worldwide, around 70 are known from Australia, according to the Western Australian Museum.
The northern bailer is thought to reach up to about 45 centimetres and is usually only spotted on the seafloor in sandy areas where they bury themselves and hide. That helps explain the sea snail's behaviour witnessed by Amanda and her partner who said it was "burying itself in the sand" when they found it.
Sea snails can be dangerous to humans
At the time, the Queenslander said she didn't know "what type of snail it was or if it was poisonous".
"We had to be careful once we uncovered it we took some photos and watched it dig itself back into the sand," she told Yahoo. Some sea snails, including marine cone snails, can be toxic or venomous, and their contact with human skin can cause skin irritation or other health problems.
After posting her findings on Facebook, others agreed it was an "amazing find" with many admitting they'd regularly find empty shells but never with a snail inside.
"That's one ugly-looking sea monster slug whatever it is," one person joked. "It’s a Baler shell. I have quite a few," confirmed another.
Some bailer shell species can be eaten
There are many varieties of bailer shells, some of which can be cooked and eaten. The False Bailer Shell, with its distinctive orange foot, is the most common and found off the southeast coast of Australia, including Tasmania.
A very similar species, but less commonly seen, is the black-footed species found along the NSW central and north coasts. Melon shells are also less commonly seen commercially, according to the Sydney Fish Market. False Bailer Shells are high priced while others are medium priced, the website states.
Despite this, it's recommended not to touch or move them if discovered on the beach.
"If you see a live baler shell please marvel at their beautiful shells and colouring but leave them where you find them for others to enjoy," Western Australia's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions website says.
"You may not collect shells, even those that are dead, from below the high water mark of most marine parks in WA, as they often provide homes for other marine animals."
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