Group photo ID help

[paul monfils]

Such scarring indicates that a break occurred in the shell, which the animal then repaired by laying down new shell material to fill the break.  When Cypraeidae are juvenile, the shell is much more thin and fragile than in the adult form, and there is a thin lip which is easily broken, not a central aperture with teeth on both sides as in the adult.  A shell break can occur various ways, including predators (fish, crabs, octopus, etc.); being tossed by heavy surf on the reef; trawlers, etc.  If the shell is badly crushed, the snail will usually die.  But if a piece of shell is just broken out of the lip, the snail can repair the break, leaving a scar, and continue growing.