The Florida Tree Snail
(Liguus fasciatus)

A cooperative study with: 

Upon entering a tropical hardwood hammock in south Florida, hues of green and brown dominate the landscape. As one's eyes adjust to the subdued lighting, however, an observant naturalist perceives something else: colors seemingly out of place.

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The eyes then focus on what appear to be porcelain ornaments hung on the trunks of wild tamarind and Jamaica dogwood. Soon the eyes catch other touches of color in the canopy.  The deep blue of barbouri, the orange of ornatus, the yellows of roseatus or the swirling browns of testudineus---natures artwork at its best, magnificently displayed by these arboreal snails.