MBARI video 2015
Pteropods, known as “wing-foot” snails (Pteropoda), are planktonic marine snails that swim or drift their entire lives in the open ocean, never touching the bottom, using a muscular foot evolved into wing-like structures to navigate currents. The video, produced by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and uploaded on November 11, 2015, runs 2:45 minutes and highlights their biology, feeding, ecological role, and vulnerability to ocean acidification.youtube
Video Creators
Narration and script come from Stephanie Bush, an MBARI researcher specializing in cephalopods and planktonic organisms. Video editing was handled by Kyra Schlining, with production support from Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Linda Kuhnz, Lonny Lundsten, Bruce Robison, and Susan von Thun; still images sourced from Stephanie Bush, David Liittschwager, and Karen Osborn; Notobranchaea footage at 1:37 copyrighted by BBC (2004, filmed at MBARI with NHK Japan). Music is “Satellites” by APM Music, LLC.youtube
Key Biology and Adaptations
Shelled pteropods deploy sticky mucous nets to passively capture “marine snow”—sinking particles of dead organisms, feces, sand, and dust—saving energy in the vast open ocean. Shell-less pteropods are carnivorous, preying exclusively on shelled varieties using curved hooks, suckers, or sticky tentacles hidden in their head until feeding; they lack eyes and likely detect prey via chemical cues or chance encounters. Their thin, lightweight aragonite shells (a calcium carbonate form) make them diverse and widespread but highly sensitive to rising ocean acidity, which dissolves them and threatens growth, health, and predators like fish, sharks, squids, and marine mammals.youtube
Ecological Role
Pteropods form a key link in the oceanic food web as both herbivores (shelled types) and predators (shell-less types), exemplifying evolutionary adaptation to unexpected pelagic habitats. Ocean acidification poses cascading risks beyond pteropods to higher trophic levels. For more, MBARI’s site (www.mbari.org) provides additional resources.youtube
