Babylonia areolata Gastropod

 

Today I am posting about a modern gastropod and not a fossil. It is called Babylonia areolata (Link, 1807) snail and it can grow up to 6 cm in size. The creatures live in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and exist down to about 10 meters. They are important food source in some countries. 

A co-worker had a vial of the shells that someone brought back as a souvenir from a ocean beach vacation. She gave them to me as I was curious as to what the shell species was. My guess is the snails were caught and cooked and the shells cleaned and then sold to become souvenirs in beach side shops in tourist locations.