Coastal Gastropod Reproduction: an Animated Cartoon

Dr. Tom Carefoot, a retired faculty member of the University of British Columbia, made an animated cartoon about reproductive strategies of two types of coastal gastropods. This is just one of the features of his amazing website, A Snail's Odyssey. Enjoy!

Dr. Carefoot also shares a short history of the word dogwhelk. I have always wondered why the word "dog" is part of the name of this type of gastropod. Here is his commentary:

The word “whelk” has appeared in many different forms over the ages and has an obscure origin. The Oxford English Dictionary notes that the “unetymological” spelling of wh-elk (as opposed to such earlier names as “wiloc”, “wyloc”, “wylke”, and “welke”) commenced in the 15th C. The term “dog” whelk is used commonly in Britain and elsewhere in reference to Nucella spp., for no obvious reason that would relate to a snail. However, as we also have “dog shark”, “dog rose”, “dog violet”, and “dog wood”, perhaps it refers to something that is common or familiar, like our 4-legged companions.