They say good things come in small packages. So imagine you’re on vacation in St. Petersburg, Florida, drinking cocktails, fishing tarpons in the bay. You sign up for a scuba tour to look at colorful and rare sea creatures. Before embarking on the boat, you look at the white-sand beach and suddenly see that it has turned black to the horizon. A nightmare. Is this an oil spill? Coming closer, you pick a sample up out of curiosity. It’s a snail. Yes you are currently witnessing a snail invasion on the popular Fort DeSoto’s North Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida:
Yes this is insane! You don’t see this type of snail – Cerith snails – too often come onto land as they prefer sandy bottoms, flat reefs, or coral rock in warm and temperate areas.
The mass invasion that occurred on Nov. 11th, is still a mystery for everybody. Some suggest the snails were exposed when the tide went out. Other believe, the snails came to shallow water because of food washed up during recent hurricanes.
In any cases, remember to give your boot a good shake before shoving your foot in there.