Banded dye murex

Hexaplex trunculus is a type of sea snail characterized by a compact, spiral and twisted shell. It inhabits the seabed and mimics itself well thanks to the epibionts of bryophytes and algae, which stick to its shell. The banded dye murex feeds on other sea snails and bivalves. It drills holes in the shells, secreting sulfuric acid, in order to get to the meat, which it feeds on with a special tubular organ, the radula. It reproduces sexually by male and female gametes through internal fertilization. The female then lays her eggs in special clumps that look like sponges. Banded dye murex secretes a special mucus that turns dark purple in the air. Such dried mucus, called purple, was produced and used in the time of the Phoenicians as a dye for clothes.