|
Post by Talira Greycrest on Jan 24, 2024 3:24:31 GMT
Cone snails are a group of marine mollusks found in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world, usually on coral reefs. They get their name from their beautifully patterned cone-shaped shells. However, unlike the snails we see in our gardens, live Cone snails should never be touched. This is because they're venomous. When hunting or defending themselves, they fire a tiny venom-filled tooth from their snout. Whilst the sting of smaller species usually isn't that bad, people are known to have died after receiving stings from larger fish-eating species.
Conus geographus, also called the Geography cone, is thought to be the most venomous Cone snail species. In 1935, Charles Hugh Garbutt picked up a live Geography cone on Queensland's Hayman Island. He was stung on the hand, but felt no pain, and the only evidence of the sting was a small puncture mark on his palm. Within an hour, he was in a coma, and died five hours after being stung.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2024 10:11:45 GMT
Wow! Never knew a snail could be so deadly!
|
|
|
Post by Talira Greycrest on Feb 11, 2024 6:04:59 GMT
I'm back from my birthday cruise (with lots of nasty sunburn that's gonna take weeks to heal). Whilst snorkelling at one of the small Fijian islands we visited, I think (though I can't say for certain) I might have seen a Marbled cone snail.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 13, 2024 18:36:52 GMT
I'm back from my birthday cruise (with lots of nasty sunburn that's gonna take weeks to heal). Whilst snorkelling at one of the small Fijian islands we visited, I think (though I can't say for certain) I might have seen a Marbled cone snail.
What color was the marbled cone shell? I see on the internet they can be black and white and sometimes have a yellow or brown colors in them.
~Michael
|
|
|
Post by Talira Greycrest on Feb 14, 2024 0:44:26 GMT
I have a small collection of Cone snail shells including a Marbled cone. The one I've got is black with white triangular spots.
|
|