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Eggs of Apple Snail


Eggs of Apple Snail
Photo Information
Copyright: Foozi Saad (foozi) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1339 W: 0 N: 2573] (9077)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-01-09
Categories: River
Camera: Nikon D80, Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG macro
Exposure: f/10.0, 1/80 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-01-11 2:26
Viewed: 2561
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 74
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Eggs of Apple Snail

These are eggs of an Apple Snail ( I only know it very recent when looking for the reference). Indeed very striking in the river. I noticed it fron a distance when I return from my Friday flea market nearby. I know it already as I read in our Nature Magazine by Malaysian Nature Society. In Kedah we call this snail, Gondang Emas ( Golden Big Snail ). Though it look so beautiful, now it become a pest to paddy farmers. This snails destroy young paddy.

( From Wikipedia)
The family Ampullariidae, common name the apple snails, are large tropical and subtropical water snails, amphibious freshwater gastropod mollusks.
The Ampullariidae are unusual because they have both gills and lungs, the mantle cavity being divided to separate the two types of respiratory structures.
This family includes several genera. Asolene, Felipponea, Marisa, and Pomacea are New World genera (native to South America, Central America, the West Indies and the Southern U.S.A.). The genera Afropomus, Lanistes, and Saulea are found in Africa. The genus Pila is native to both Africa and Asia.
Apple snails are exceptionally well adapted to tropical regions characterized by periods of drought alternating with periods of high rainfall. This adaptation is reflected in their life style; they are moderately amphibious, and equipped with a shell "door" or operculum enabling the snail to close itself off in the shell to prevent drying out while hiding in the mud during dry periods.
One of the more typical adaptations of apple snails is the branchial respiration. The snail has a system comparable to the gills of a fish (at the right side of the snail body) to breathe under water as well as a lung (at the left side of the body) to respirate air. This lung/gill combination expands the action radius of the snail in search for food. It is part of the snail's natural behaviour to leave the water when the food supply below the surface becomes inadequate.
Several apple snail genera (Pomacea, Pila and Asolene/Pomella) deposit eggs above the waterline in calcareous clutches. This remarkable strategy of aquatic snails protects the eggs against predation by fish and other aquatic inhabitants. Another anti-predator adaptation in the apple snail genera Pomacea and Pila, is the tubular siphon, used to breathe air while submerged, reducing vulnerability to attacking birds.
Apple snails inhabit various ecosystems: ponds, swamps and rivers. Although they occasionally leave the water, they mainly spend time in the water. Unlike many snail species, apple snails are not hermaphroditic, but gonochoristic: a male and a female are needed for reproduction.
In the 1980s, Pomacea canaliculata was introduced in Taiwan to start an escargot industry.[1] It was thought that such food culture could provide valuable proteins for farmers, who primarily live on a rice diet. However, the snails did not become a culinary success. Additionally the imported snails (like the native apple snail population, Pila) were able to transfer a parasite called Angiostrongylus cantonensis. This parasite can infect humans if snails are eaten that have not been thoroughly cooked first.
Instead of becoming a valuable food source, the introduced snails escaped and became a serious threat to rice production and the native ecosystems. During the 1980s the introduced snails rapidly spread to Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia[2], Hong Kong, southern China, Japan and the Philippines, and there are indications that they are currently invading Australia.
Hawai'i experienced the same introduction of Pomacea for culinary purposes, and its taro industry is now suffering because of it.
Nevertheless, apple snails are considered a delicacy in several regions of the world, and they are often sold in East and Pacific Asian markets for consumption.

[edit] Bio-control
Pomacea and Marisa species have been introduced to Africa and Asia to control snails (Planorbidae: Bulinus sp. and Biophalaria sp.) that serve as an intermediate host for trematoda parasites. These parasites can cause swimmers itch and schistosomiasis, a disease that affects over 200 million people in tropical regions. One of the species introduced as bio-agent is Marisa cornuarietis. This snail competes with other snails and preys on other species. Hopefully Marisa will not develop into a pest as have the introduced Pomacea species in Asia.
Miss_Piggy, Morigann, siggi, Argus, mohaiminawang, zulfu, matatur, Alex99, flashpoint, JoseMiguel, rousettus, maurydv, banaei_nikon, valy67, jusninasirun, gracious, trekks, samandi, SunToucher, anel, Hormon_Manyer, Maite, pablominto, romuszka, jignasi, septama, Gert-Paassen has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hallo Foozi
I really want to congratulate you on all the interesting subjects you have been posting lately, this being one of them. Lets be honest, this is not something anybody would want to photograph as it is not a bird or a butterfly or a colourful flower. It is only a lot of round red balls cooped together and that’s that. You come, photograph it and present us something unusual, supply us with information on the subject and educate us on something that the most of us has not seen or even heard of. Better still is that your subject is colourful, and well detailed, making it a pleasure to look at it and wanting to look at it to find out what it really is. Although it is not always possible to stop and comment on all the postings that pass on the gallery on a daily basis you must know that your effort and contributions is highly appreciated.
Best regards
Anna

Hello Foozi,
this is an unusual capture with fine details and a good DOF.
Beautiful photo
Very well done
Pierre

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1373 W: 56 N: 4716] (16222)
  • [2009-01-11 2:55]

Hello Foozi,
Your composition is excellent here, It's perfect close up with very good sharpness and clarity. Note is outstanding with a great many information
Have a nice sunday, Siggi

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3813 W: 190 N: 11346] (34981)
  • [2009-01-11 5:31]

Hello Foozi,
A great macro of these snails eggs taken with fine sharpness and detail. The colours are astounding and make one feel that these are delicious to eat! Maybe you can take a shot of the snail sometime!
Thanks for sharing this fine and unusual image,
Best regards,
Ivan

hello Foozi

beautiful colours
never seen before
great sharpness
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • Tabib Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 147 W: 5 N: 151] (720)
  • [2009-01-11 6:02]

Askm Foozi!

Great macro shot, I never seen this.
Look like "kueh sagu" to me! ;)
TFS,
Best regards,
/Redzlan/.

Salam Jusni,

Now i know the Gondang Emas is.In Kota Belud the farmers campaign to solve the problem cause of this snail.emmm..Great sharpness and nice colour look so alive, hope its not grow in TN and eat my paddy post:-).TFS thanks for the very useful note.

regards
mohaimin

Hi Foozi,
wow - amazing shot of amazing eggs.
I never saw them in pink, that looks very pretty. Thanks for showing us this wonderful shot, greetings
Sabine - wishnugaruda

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1055 W: 0 N: 162] (866)
  • [2009-01-11 6:20]

Hello Foozi, wonderful close-up shot of these beutiful eggs of a snail. Details and colours are great.
TFS and G's,
Mehmet

Well, at first glance I thought this was a kind of a fruit Foozi, nothing like present to learn something new my friend, for that I'm indebted to you...
Cheers,
Mehmet

Hello Foozi,
Excellent and very artistic shot, great capture this Eggs of Apple Snail, very good POF.
Very well done!!!! TFS
Best Regards
Ferran

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3584 W: 143 N: 5669] (18531)
  • [2009-01-11 10:35]

Hi Foozi.
I have never seen anything similar and could not understand what this is without your explanation. Superb macro shot with terrific sharpness, details and awesome colours. Diagonal composition of the image is the best. Bravo.
Alexei.

hello Foozi!
a wonderfull macro of this strange eggs of snail...seems a corn-cob pink!!!!

best sERGIO

Hi Foozi,
A very colourful and artistic presentation!
I like the graphic aspect of it, and the close framing you choose, with the red eggs formations along the diagonal, and the greens up and down.
Congratulations and thanks for share.
My best regards,
JM

Salam Foozi
woww, amazing beauty with splendid colors and great close-up. If you dont say any thing, I cant understand truely. Maybe I thought that it would be a flower's details. Congratulations indeed. Sharp details, lighting, composition and POV wonderful. Green greatly contrasted to its pinky colors. Superb work also with frame. Thanks for sharing. best wishes my friend
Ahmet

Great capture of snail eggs Foozi.
They almost look like unopened flower buds.
TFS
Steve

Ciao Foozi,
spettacolare macro dagli straordinari colori,
eccellenti POV e composizione per questo inusuale soggetto, l'immagine ha un ottimo impatto visivo ed è curata anche nei particolari con un'ottima definizione, un eccellente lavoro nel tuo consueto stile ricercato e raffinato.
TFS.
Maurizio

Hi Foozi,
Amazing shot of amazing eggs.
beautiful colours

TFS
**MAB**

  • Great 
  • valy67 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1880 W: 59 N: 2915] (8733)
  • [2009-01-12 12:29]

Hello Foozi !
Wow, that is beautiful ! Wonderful vivid colors and I also like the patterns made by the eggs, looks fantastic, almost like candy ! :-) It is something very unusual, which I had never seen before. Excelllent sharpness and details, too, and very nicely composed. Your note is very interesting and informative. Very well done !
Valerie.

Salam Foozi,

A real threat to paddy farmers as these snails are destroying their crop and adapted so well in the harsh environment.

The image is brilliant capturing the cluster of eggs against the green plant. The diagonal framing making it striking enough like an artwork. Good research and very good macro indeed. I strongly agree with Anna on your effort in your brilliant gallery.

Well done and TFS.

Wasallam,
Jusni

Hello Foozi

What a beautiful image.
The colours are vibrant and well saturated.
Excellent POV and well composed in the frame.
Lovely focus and sharp detail.
A terrific and informative post.
TFS

Wolf

Abang,
I really loved the nice pink colour on the eggs of Gondang Emas! also how you captured with a diagonal across the image!
good sharpness, colour balanced and details
many thanks for the sharing
cheers
Tony

  •      
  • trekks Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 104 W: 39 N: 7] (36)
  • [2009-01-13 17:50]

hi foozi

We never can please everyone, not even photographers when presenting some photos on TN. Some will say dislike of snakes, spiders, flies, worms etc...due to personal taste and reaction. That is quite natural for some. But when we view a photo like this in pure form of photography, it is a pleasure to notice the red balls as if they are pink red grapes reduced in size. With the way you have captured it and presented it here, without the note, nobody can believe it is snail eggs? I like the diagonal and clarity of this presentation and you have done well to show what I believe many of us will never find and see. Thank you for that. Snails is a brand name for apparel, but so they are pests too. Great work to capture something to be so pinkish and interesting.

Greetings from Borneo.
tfs, bill

Dear Foozi
Wooow ..Very nice colour
Its a wonderful creative composition that u have here.
Good job .. Best regards
-- SADEGH --

Hi Foozi,
When you posted this photo it jumped at me from the start, but due to limited time I wasn't able to critique it. But here I am.
I love that color combination of the pink eggs with the green BG. The shapes of the eggs are awesome and your frame filling macro is very beautiful.
TFS,
Niek

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1723 W: 0 N: 3903] (15686)
  • [2009-01-15 5:15]

hello Foozi,
Absolutely stunning picture for its subject and the composition too. You see things in nature with this special eye, which gives very often an amazing picture, like this one. Again a great shot from you.
Like always I'm late :-)
Best regards
Anne

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5578] (18516)
  • [2009-01-15 8:40]

Hi Foozi,
Outstanding shot and you show a special image here. The colours are so pleasing and I like the formation and shape of the eggs. Great light handling and the image is tack sharp. The diagonal composition looks marvellous.
TFS.
Sumon

Hi Foozi,
Very interesting, not to mention beautiful posting. For the first sight I thought it's a kind of myxomycota fungi. :) Fantastic colors, and the pic itself is a minimalistic masterpiece. Bravo. It absolutely deserves my little green star.
Greetings from Hungary, László

  • Great 
  • Maite Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1007 W: 64 N: 1266] (5195)
  • [2009-01-19 7:36]

I had to look for an Apple snail to know how they are... and, goodness, they are big!!! This is a marvellous picture, my friend. Really good and beautiful.
Congratulations and TFS
Maite

WOW!
excellent pink color and detail

Hello Foozi,
What an amazing and interesting shot it is. You framed and presented it very elegantly too.
When I read your note, I realised the mystery of the micro world again.
Congratulations!
Sibel

Hello Foozi,

A strong and very likable diagonal composition!
Good details in the eggs and the special colour is well reproduced...
This is a photo with good educational value that could qualify for any textbook!

Greetings,
Pablo -

Witaj Foozi,
Unusual painting. Surely many of us passed near this indifferently. And this has beauty tyle. It was it been proper to know what this it is. I thank You za splendid painting and instructive note.
Pozdrawiam i gratuluje - Roma

Interesante explicación para esta belleza de foto.

Te comunico que en España hay poca superficie de arroz pero ya se ha introducido este año el caracol manzana !!
El el delta del rio Ebro, con unas 22.000 Ha. de este cultivo y en solo un año ya hay un 30% de la superficie invadida.

Un abrazo desde España: Josep Ignasi

Hi Foozi,
nice and extra-ordinary shot from ordinary object, I never thought that snail egg could be so beautiful presented in macro shot just like you do, nice contrast and well saturated color between pinkish egg and the leaf, superb sharpness and DOF, thanks for the great notes

Hello Foozi..
Nice shot and clear photo.. superb macro and vivid nature colours..
TFS
Best Regards
Özgür

Hi Foozi,
The shot is too good with great details and sharpness. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

Rooban

Hi Foozi
A very colorful and artistic presentation.
thanks to send.
well done

Hi Foozi..
Great picture with stunning color...Excellent details and information.....Well done for this unusual work....TFS.
Regards
Leyla

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