When I first saw this video, I thought for sure it was fake. The eyes on this conch look absolutely, delightfully cartoonish—how on earth could this possibly be real? Turns out that conchs actually DO have ridiculously awesome googly eyes! Furthermore, the eyes, which are on top of stalks, are quite complex—they can actually see fairly well. An article in the Journal of Experimental Biology explains:
All species within the conch snail family Strombidae possess large camera-type eyes that are surprisingly well-developed compared with those found in most other gastropods.
The Right Blue provides more info:
Conch shells, like all seashells, are created by secretions from the mantle of the snail that lives inside. This happens gradually, over the snail's lifetime. Most people have seen empty Conch shells, yet few have seen the snails that are the natural inhabitants of those large, heavy shells. Fewer still realize that those critters have wonderful stalked eyes.
All of the snails in the family Strombidae, to which Conchs belong, have these stalked eyes. If you come across a live Conch shell while diving, you can see the snail's eyes for yourself if you are patient. If you pick up the shell and turn it over, the animal inside will retract into the shell almost immediately. Set the shell down with the glossy aperture exposed and just wait. Eventually — say, in five or ten minutes — the snail will extend its eyes to look around. If you are lucky, you also may get to see its proboscis (tubular mouth).
Absolutely, utterly amazing!
