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Those with a fascination for all things aquatic might sometimes think they’ve seen it all, but no matter how many weird and wonderful things are discovered, nature continually finds ways to keep surprising us. Not content with offering us disco clams, living rocks and flying squid, it appears that nature has also created surfing snails as well.

Found primarily on the coasts of South Africa, the Plough Snail (Bullia digitalis) normally spends its time half-buried along the surf zone where the sand is not too coarse, staying hidden and out of trouble. But when the tide starts to rise and the waves deposit dead and dying creatures on the shore, the snails start to move…

Roused by the scent of carrion, each of these voracious scavengers will emerge from the sand, spread its large, muscular "foot" like a sail to catch the waves and surf up the beach where their dinner awaits. Their keen senses mean that they can sense a prospective meal from a considerable distance and many of them will converge from all directions to feed. Once close enough, they will “plow” along the remaining distance, creating a distinctive furrow in the sand that gives them their name, and sticking their proboscises into the prey to suck up the decaying soft tissues.

While it may sound distasteful, these resourceful and opportunistic snails perform a vital “clean-up” function to keep the beaches clear of decomposing fish and jellyfish, whilst also providing ample fodder for a wealth of surfing references.