Photo 1: Purple Olive shells washed ashore. (Photo taken at Schooner's Cove)
Purple Olive: Olivella biplicata
These olive snails are the largest in the olive family. They are common on the West Coast of Vancouver Island where they wash ashore in great numbers. Purple Olives burrow in the sand, leaving trails behind them. Males follow the trails of females to mate. They are nocturnal, omnivorous scavengers, moving up and down the beach with the tide.