Guess what is the name of the animal below:

The photo was not taken from the Ultraman TV program.

The answer is Mud Whelks (Nassarius jacksonianus). Have you gotten it right? You may have eaten this disgusting snail before. It is a gastrpoda that can reach 10cm (about 4 inches) in length, and comes in many shapes and sizes. Commonly seen in shallow muddy pool of mangrove forest, it moves slowly on the mud, grazing on algae on the mud surface. Mud Whelks is a scavengers that feeds on dead animals and leaves. It can detect prey using ospharadium, a chemosensory organ near the base of the siphon.

See the picture below. Its head looks like lamb or cow, right? To see its body FULLY extended, I nailed its shell upright in the mud. As you can see, its muscle is strong (look juicy too). I waited more than 5 minutes to get this photo.

Now I show the colour version of the first picture. I guess the black and white picture is very misleading. That’s the purpose. Haha! It is less fun if I tell you what it is in the beginning.