This harp shell is shown crawling across the sand with its long siphon and tentacles exposed (one tentacle has an eye on the end). Harps are predatory, feeding mostly on crustaceans such as crabs. To feed, they wrap their "foot" (flesh) around their victim, smothering it with a combination of mucous and sand.

The best time to find shells out in the open on a reef is at night, when they emerge from their daytime hiding places to feed. This photo was taken at one of my favorite Batangas, Philippine night-dive spots called the "eel grass". The water there is very shallow (about 20-30 feet) with an abundance of sand and vegetation.

Identification: Harpa articularis

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