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Tuesday 6 January 2009

Biology: 5 Reef Animals

4. Geographic cone snail


Geographic cone snail

The Geographic cone snail is a gastropod of the family Conidae (cone snails 0r cone shells). These carnivorous snails are native to reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Geographic cones live in sand pockets near reef edges, under dead coral rubble or among coral reefs.

The snail is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long. It has a lightweight and thin but not fragile shell. The background color [of the shell] is some variation of white, cream, pink or blue, heavily covered with fine brownish lines and irregular brownish blotches. They are prized by shell collectors.

The geographic cone is the most venomous of the 500 known cone snail species, and several human deaths have been attributed to them. The neurotoxins are loaded onto a barbed, harpoon like tooth made in a structure called a radula. The special tooth is used for hunting and defence.The snail shoots the harpoon still connected to the radula by a powerful muscular contraction. The venom paralyzes the prey (small fish or snails) instantly, then the snail pulls in the radula along with the harpoon and its meal.

The geographic cone is not endangered.

Intersting facts
  • The proboscis along with the harpoon can reach any part of the shell, so it must not be picked up by hand.
  • Among the compounds found in cone snail venom are proteins which, when isolated, have enormous potential as pain-killing drugs. Research shows that certain of these proteins target specific human pain receptors and can be up to 10,000 times more potent than morphine without morphine's addictive properties and other side effects.
  • The geographic cone is nicknamed the "cigarette snail," a humorous exaggeration meaning a person stung by one would have enough time to smoke a cigarette before dying.
Souces:
National Geographic
Aquarium of the Pacific: Online Learning Center
Wikipedia

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I am a grade nine student living in Mexico. This is my home school education blog. I post the things I learned during the week on this blog. I hope you can learn things from this too.




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