Snail graveyard

Just to east of Port Elizabeth is the Sundays River Valley. From the mouth of the Sundays River running east is the biggest coastal dune field in the Southern Hemisphere, namely the Alexandria Dunefields. Recently we went on the Sundays River Ferry for a pleasure ride. The ferry stops close to the river mouth for passengers to get off and go for a short walk onto the dunes. In between the dunes I found this snail “cemetery“. It was quite a peculiar sight with thousands of snail shells all lying in this one area. Most of them were European snail while the big shell is a Zebra snail. I would love to try and find out why the shells are all in one specific place.

5 thoughts on “Snail graveyard

  1. That is fascinating. I wonder why too. I would hate to have to walk over them barefoot.I got my new computer set up and can post again. Thank you for your faithfulness and checking up on me while I was away 🙂

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  2. When we came to live in PE 30 years ago, I still remember as if it was yesterday getting over the olifantshoek pass and seeing the dunes for the first time. In those days they had less vegetation and they were really impressive from up there, acres of gleaming sand.What an odd place for European snails! Maybe it is the dumping spot for a restaurant, and over the next dune is a heap of frogs legs!!!

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