Why are there holes in seashells?

Have you ever wondered how seashells have those little holes in them? Even though our first thought is to use these for necklaces and bracelets, it’s really just a crazy coincidence that they are so perfectly placed. The real explanation behind these holes are critters called Moon Snails. When Moon Snails capture their prey they wrap their large foot around it to suffocate it and then drag the creature deep into the sand. This is an attempt to get the bivalve to open up but if this doesn’t work then the snails radula – a sort of tongue covered with 7 rows of tiny, sharp teeth-like structures – drills a hole into the top of the shell. The snail then uses its tongue to slash around and tear up whats inside the shell into a soup which it can then suck out over a period of about a day or so. This process leaves behind an empty shell. With time and ocean currents the shells usually break into two parts and end up on the beach, which is what we find.