photo: Bernd Kaufmann via dabaquarium.com
photo: shrimps-royal.com
photo: invertebia.fr
Habitat: Philippines
Status: Not Listed
It’s not every day that you come across a snail that can strike fear into your heart. Well, at least in my world anyways. However… today is that day apparently! Here we have the Hairy Trumpet Snail (Thiara cancellata) that looks unnervingly similar to the infamous villain Pinhead from the British horror franchise Hellraiser.
While it’s only around 2.5 cm (one inch) in diameter, that doesn’t stop this snail from looking quite menacing. I love how scientists decided to describe this creature as ‘hairy’ when in fact it looks like it has needles coming out of its shell. Hair/needles… potato/potatoe right?! Maybe they meant to say ‘horrifying’ instead of ‘hairy’…
left: aqa.ru right: Doug Bradley as Pinhead in 1987′s Hellraiser
They’re apparently commonly found in the aquarium trade as they are very fond of consuming algae. Nobody likes a tank full of algae, after all. Plus, I’m sure this guy keeps all the fish in line. Or else.
