Common whelk

Distribution in scandinavian waters

Maximum length: 13 cm. Appearance: The shell has a dirty yellow-brown to whitish colour, while the soft parts are grey-white with black patches. Depth: 5-1 200 m. Environment: The common whelk lives on all types of bottoms, but is most common on soft bottoms. Misc: The common whelk has well developed siphons that are often supported by half tubes or grooves in the shell. With the use of these it is able to smell its food and eventuell predators. Classification: The common whelk is a member of the neogastropods, which is a snail under the molluscs.

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