Purple dye murex

Bolinus brandaris has a shell on which large and solid spines stand out. The shell is white-brown in color, although it is often green due to algae that settle on the surface. The opening on the house is large and oval with a characteristic extension in the form of a channel (siphon). The opening, unlike the shell, is orange or yellow. The spiny volak feeds on other sea snails, bivalves and other dead organisms. 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. During spawning, dozens of snails can be found in the same place and form ball clusters during mating. The female then lays her eggs in special clumps that look like sponges. The lumpy vole secretes a special mucus that turns dark purple in the air. Such dried mucus was produced and used in the time of the Phoenicians as a dye for clothes.