Atlantic Dogwhelk

At a glance

Atlantic Dogwhelk (Nucella lapillus) is a marine snail present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.

Confirmed by 3,188 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Maine, Nova Scotia, and Massachusetts the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Shell color shifts from white to orange to dark depending on whether it eats barnacles or mussels.
• Found on both sides of the North Atlantic, from Labrador to New Jersey.
• Can live up to 10 years on sheltered rocky shores.
• Drills a neat hole through prey shells using a rasplike radula.
• Tributyltin antifouling paint once caused widespread reproductive failure in dogwhelk populations.

Where Atlantic Dogwhelk are seen

• Maine1,128 iNat obs
• Nova Scotia1,028 iNat obs
• Massachusetts490 iNat obs
• New Brunswick223 iNat obs
• New Hampshire105 iNat obs
• Newfoundland and Labrador90 iNat obs

Background

The dog whelk, dogwhelk, or Atlantic dogwinkle, scientific name Nucella lapillus, is a species of predatory sea snail, a carnivorous marine gastropod in the family Muricidae, the rock snails.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Atlantic Dogwhelk article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.