Atlantic Oyster Drill

Urosalpinx cinerea

The Atlantic oyster drill is a small snail with a knobby, oval-shaped shell. The oyster drill's shell varies in color from gray or purplish to tan or yellowish-white and has:

• A pointed spire.
• Brown spiraling ribs.
• A thin, flared lip with small teeth.

Oyster drills grow to about 1 inch.

Where does the Atlantic oyster drill live?

Atlantic oyster drills can be found on oyster reefs, rocks, pilings and bay grass beds in the middle to lower Bay.

What does the Atlantic oyster drill eat?

Atlantic oyster drills feed mainly on oysters by drilling pin-sized holes into an oyster's shell to reach its soft inside parts. Oyster drills also prey upon barnacles, mussels and other small mollusks that live on pilings, reefs and grass beds.

How does the Atlantic oyster drill reproduce?

Atlantic oyster drills spawn throughout the summer. They lay capsule-like eggs, which are held to rocks, reefs or pilings by thin stems. Larvae crawl from the eggs within six to eight weeks.

Other facts about the Atlantic oyster drill:

• Predation by Atlantic oyster drills has seriously impacted oyster beds in parts of the lower Bay. Oyster drills are not as much of a threat to oysters in the upper Bay because the drills cannot survive in low-salinity waters.