Cone Snail?

[Seahorses]

I ordered a cowrie and instead got this. It looks a lot like the venomous cone snail. Can someone please ID it for me? Thanks.

 

[wii64brawl]

Not sure... But aren't these deadly?

 

[Seahorses]

Yes. Cone snails can kill, so I don't want to take it out of the bag until I know what it is.

 

[wii64brawl]

Ah. Can you get a picture of the underside? If there is a proboscis, then it is definitely a cone snail.

 

[Seahorses]

So after researching I found that it is in fact a cowrie. It's just marked as I would have expected. So I will put him in his tank.

 

[pagojoe]

Yes, it's a bulla stage cowry, and is harmless. If it survives, it will continue to expand the shell untill the characteristic teeth form, and the dorsum thickens. It looks like it might be a juvenile Cypraea onyx or C. walkeri, but ID will be a lot easier as it matures. Cowries spend a lot of time hiding when they are juveniles, and are much more vulnerable to predators like crabs and fish when they are thin-shelled juvies. Good luck!



Don