FOOD PREFERENCE, CONSUMPTION AND FEEDING-BEHAVIOR OF SCAVENGING GASTROPOD BABYLONINA-SPIRATA (NEOGASTROPODA, BUCCINIDAE)

The present study of food preference, consumption rate, time spent on food and the perception distance of Babylonia spirata was made with va rious food organisms like Meretrix meretrix, Perna viridis, Crassostre a madmsensis, Loligo sp., Penaeus indicus, Oratosquilla sp. and Portun us pelagicus as feed. Among the various food offered, B. spirata fed o n oyster (1.22 g/day) and less on crab (0.05 g/day). Larger snails spe nt 7.2 min to consume 2 g of food, smaller snails took as much as 13.4 min to consume the same quantity. The snails took less time to locate oyster meat (7.2 min) and more time to locate crab meat.