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Oceanologist Anya Stajner recently enjoyed a sunset stroll along La Jolla Shores Beach, as the vibrant violet colours caught her eye in the sand.
She came down to her hands and knees and was surprised to find herself stumbling on the rare species of sea snail, Gantina Gantina.
These creatures, more commonly known as violet snails, are distinguished by their impressive purple shells and the delicate bubble rafts they secrete because they float in the open ocean. They are not known for being present on beaches in Southern California.
“When I saw it on the beach, I immediately learned what it was, but I was completely shocked,” said Stajner, a fifth-grade doctoral student at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in UC San Diego. “You never see them washed away in San Diego. The odds are very slim.”
Violet snails are known for their vibrant hues and the ability to float on the surface of the sea thanks to the vibrant hues they create.
(Anya Stajna.)
J. Giantina means living at sea level, not at tidal pools or along the coast. Their bright violet colors are thought to be a form of UV protection to protect them from harsh rays of the sun.
Stajner’s discovery is the first time Scripps researchers have found these purple snails on a local beach in 10 years, she said.
J. Yangina is usually found in the subtropical to tropical seas. Their sparse sightings along the coast of Southern California coincide with warm offshore waters that often flow towards the coast.
“The water was particularly warm the day we found the specimen,” she said. “I remember when it washed away with my feet, I was like, ‘Oops, this is hot.’ ”
Janthina Janthina secretes bubble rafts that allow them to float at sea level.
(Anya Stadiner)
Stajner cannot say for certain whether her findings are related to climate change, but noted that this is a question researchers would like to investigate in the future.
“I think that’s something we’re keeping an eye on,” she said. “If these warm waters continue, you’ll want to see if these purple snails wash on land.”
If you find J. Janthina from Southern California, Stajner will urge you to take a photo and send it to Scripps. However, she reminded people that certain beaches, such as La Jolla Shores, are designated as “no take area.”
In total, she collected ten snails and took them to the university’s collection of pelagic invertebrates for research.
Under the microscope she was able to see thousands of eggs collected in the inner red sack of one of the shells. She has also seen the delicate purple swirls on the outside outside of the snail shell.
Under the microscope, an egg sachet can be seen on one of the ocean snails in the sands of La Jolla Shores.
(Anya Stadiner)
J. Yanginna usually has a dark violet tint at the top of the shell, which blends in from a bird’s eye view, Stadinna said. Their underside is often a light lavender that sparkles along with the sun on the surface of the ocean, making them stronger for sea predators to find from below.
These sea snails are also greedy predators and feast on free floating hydrozoans such as Verella Verella and the Portuguese wars. “They’re small, but they’re powerful,” she said.
The staffer said she was excited by the public’s attention she received by her discovery and hopes to encourage more people to explore the diverse aquatic creatures that exist along the Southern California coast.
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