Giant Hairy Triton Snail is not exactly the prettiest name but Monoplex parthenopeus doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue either. Whatever you call it, this marine gastropod just happens to be a little bit ugly on the outside, beautiful inside and found in rock pools throughout the Illawarra.

Even though these snails are quite large (some shells reaching 18cm) they can be hard to spot on account of the rigid hairs on their shells which, of course, attract a bit of algae as well, so they kind of blend into the background.

Also, when compared to the brightly patterned sea stars and cow-like sea hares they often share the water with, they just don’t really grab your attention. Okay. I admit it, this is all about me. They just don’t grab my attention.

Or at least they didn’t. Until I saw one of the snails extended out of its shell, making its way across the bottom of a fairly deep rock pool, its body an almost golden cream, marked with yellow-ringed spots of brown. These snails are truly beautiful. And frightening if you happen to be a another gastropod, bivalve, like mussels or oysters, or a sponge, which are on the menu.

They are found throughout the world, thanks to their super-long larval stage, which lasts for about nine months and where they can disperse up to 4000 kilometres.

Those who don’t mind getting their feet wet can find them up to a depth of 75 metres but luckily for those of us who appreciate not donning the scuba gear, they are pretty common locally. I’ve seen them in Shellharbour, Port Kembla and around Sandon Point.

If you find one, you’ll most likely find the door of the shell, the operculum, shut tight to prevent the animal from drying out at low tide… and to keep prying fingers away. But it’s worth pulling up a chair, or a rock, and waiting to see if the snail emerges and you’ll see that you shouldn’t judge a snail by its hairy cover.