Tactics of whelks preying on limpets

Although holes drilled by the whelk Dicathais aegrota Reeve, 1846 in the limpet Patelloida alticostata (Angas, 1865) were not in the areas of thinnest shell, they were away from the margin, over the gonad and digestive gland, and in the segments where the predator fitted evenly onto the prey's shell. This complicated handling of prey provides access to energy-rich tissues and probably prevents dislodgement of the predator.