Abalone Snail - Haliotis asinina
Picture taken May 2000, Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera, full flash

Pictured here is a rather odd snail called an Abalone. For some reason this is one of the most expensive snails going. I paid about $16 for this snail. Considering this type of snail is raised for restaurant food it shouldn't be that expensive.

This snail has an unusually strong bond with a surface. Trying to remove it even from the plastic bag is likely to damage the animal. After acclimation, just cut the bag around the animal and place a corner of the bag under an glass cleaner magnet for support. The Abalone will crawl off it shortly.

They look like flattened snail with a very low profile. In fact the name of the genus haliotis means "sea ear" in reference to its shell shape. The holes in the top of the shell are respiratory pores and are connected to the gill chamber. Although they lack a brain they do have a pumping heart usually located on the left side of the animal.

Abalone Snail - Haliotis asinina
Picture taken May 2000, Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera, 10x closeup lens, no flash

This is the abalone snail inside the aquarium as viewed from its underside.

Many people who have had these snails report that they are short lived in aquariums. Sure enough, one of mine was munched on within the first month. However, the second one has been doing very well.