This is a sample of one of the slides from the presentation "Grand Turk: Jewel of the Caribbean" on this CD-ROM by the same name. The CD-ROM contains WAV audio narration for the slides. There are 80 slides, comprising a 45-minute presentation.
The CD-ROM also contains 17 issues of Volume 1 of the e-ReefNews newsletter, an illustrated essay about Dry Tortugas National Park, and an archival copy of the ReefNews website.
Flamingo Tongue Snail on Sea Rod Coral
This close-up shows a Flamingo Tongue Snail eating a Sea Rod coral. Snails are called "gastropods," meaning stomach-footed, because they eat with their feet. As this snail crawls along the branch of coral, it digests the coral polyps. To the left of the snail, you can see the bare purple coral skeleton where the snail has been. This snail's shell is white all over. The orange and black dots you see are actually on a layer of living tissue connected to the snail's foot that the snail pushes out to cover its shell. This tissue works like a fish's gills, exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the water so the snail can breathe.