The Conus gloriamaris is thought to be one of the most beautiful seashells in the world because of the incredible crosshatch pattern present on its body.Īt the wide end of the cone snail's body, you will find spires or whorls of various heights. Whereas, the Californiconus californic or California cone is rather plain looking with its grayish-brown shell. For instance, the Conus marmoreus or marbled cone has beautiful black and white marbling on its body. However, the fun lies in the different patterns seen on the body of cone snails which has made this deadly creature precious among humans. When it comes to the appearance of these snails, you can understand that it has a cone-like shape. Cone Snail Fun Facts What does the cone snail look like? However, species like the Conus mordeirae and the Conus lugubris have been featured under the status of Critically Endangered. Most do have the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classification of Least Concern, while others have failed to make it to this category. The conservation status of the cone snails may change based on the species. These egg capsules remain attached to the surface before its ready to hatch and parents play no role in bringing up the baby cones. However, it is said that the fertilization of eggs happens inside the body of the female cones, and usually up to 5,000 eggs are laid. The reproduction system of cone snail is still elusive as most of the studies have been done on captive cones. How long does a cone snail live?Įven though cone snails haven't been documented well in their wild habitat, this deadly group of creatures is thought to have a long life of around 10-20 years.

Even though the creature may hunt and eat alone, you can still find other cone snails around it. Who does cone snail live with?Ĭone snails are usually a solitary species that lives by hiding under the sand or rocks. But, it can also occur in temperate and cool subtropical regions. The cone snail is mainly found in tropical and subtropical marine environments. Scientists could also find a number of species living in southern California leading to the discovery of the Californiconus californicus. Snails cone species have also been found in South Africa's Cape region. We could never tell the exact dwelling place of these creatures, however, a lot of species have been found in the western Indo-Pacific region. We don't have any definite data about the population of this creature as more than 900 species of it have been noted. How many cone snails are there in the world? The cone snail belongs to the class Gastropoda and the family Conidae which is divided into four major genera. What class of animal does the cone snail belong to? The cone snail is a venomous variant of seashells usually found in marine environments. For more relatable content, check out these Partula snail facts and apple snail facts for kids.įamily Conidae Cone Snail Interesting Facts What type of animal is a cone snail? Want to know more about this invertebrate and its venom? Keep reading to find interesting cone snail facts. However, most species aren't deadly to humans because of weak toxins. These critters have a harpoon-like tooth that they can shoot out to hunt prey and bring death to it within seconds. The geographic cone is said to have the strongest venom amongst the 900 species that have been identified until now. However, little do we know that the cone snail venom known as conotoxins can even cause human deaths when you aren't careful. Most of us are familiar with the cone-shaped shell of these invertebrates as it tends to be beautiful and humans have been making jewelry from it for a long time. You can mainly find the cone snail in the warm tropical regions of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, but can also be found on the coasts of the U.S. Are you interested in learning about shelled animals like oysters? If yes, then hold tight as we are about to meet one of the most venomous seashells present in the world.

Cone snail venom