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Predatory strategies used by carnivorous gastropods may change during their ontogeny. In muricid gastropods attack mechanisms include an accessory boring organ (ABO), radula, labral tooth and/or pedal muscle. However, these mechanisms and their patterns of use in relation to the ontogeny of the carnivorous gastropod remain uncertain. We studied the occurrence of shifts in predatory strategies through the ontogeny of the gastropod Acanthina monodon preying on the mytilid Perumytilus purpuratus. Our results showed a direct relationship between predator and prey size. During attack, the small-sized snails (up to 18 mm shell length, SL) used exclusively the ABO, and medium-sized snails (18–20 mm SL) shifted to using the radula for rasping shells. Meanwhile, the largest-sized snails (> 20 mm SL) used the radula, but also occasionally the pedal muscle and labral tooth, to attack their prey. The site …