From Andrew J. Martinez Marine Life of the North Atlantic:
Ilyanassa obsoleta
Eastern Mud Whelk
Habitat: Mudflats, usually near the low-tide line
Range: Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida
Comments: This is the most common snail found on the mudflats. It is omnivirous and, being a scavenger, is often found on dead animals. Also called Common Mud Snail, Mud Dog Whelk.
That's right guys, it's just those millions of snails found all along our shores. I kept a small local tank with some various fish I caught last summer (pipefish, puffers, searobins, etc.) and dumped a ton of these guys in with the sand. They promptly buried themselves and only really come out at night, or sometimes during feeding time. They must have an amazing sense of "smell" because they would start to stir less than 30 seconds after the fish were fed. When I cleaned the tank out at the end of the summer, I hadn't lost a single snail; although after moving, I did find some on the carpet behind the tank. Also, I did not have to clean the glass for the entire summer. Granted the tank was only lit with NO, and unheated, I found this to be quite astonishing. They seem pretty benign and do a great job at stirring up the sand although they weren't kept with many inverts. My advice would be to take the family to the beach and grab a bunch of these guys. Make sure you do not get any oyster drills, however!!!! They will kill your clams, barnacles, turkey wings, or any other bivalve you have. Check out the above mentioned book to see some pics. Good luck!
