The Marbled Cone Snail

Each of these harpoons is a modified tooth primarily made of chitin and formed inside the mouth of the snail in a structure known as the toxoglossan radula.

The marbled cone snail.

In order to get its prey the cone snail injects a rapid acting venom from a dart like tooth radicula or dagger. This is about a detailed video about marbled cone snail. Cone snails use a radula tooth as a harpoon like structure for predation. This snail is venomous like all cone snails.

Target is within range. Roughly 30 humans to date have succumbed to the poison of the marbled cone snail. When it attacks its prey it sticks out its long white proboscis to shoot a poison laden harpoon sometimes attacking its prey multiple times over. The radula in most gastropods has rows of many small teeth and is used for grasping at food and scraping it into the mouth.

The venom of marbled cone snail is the same as that of blue ring octopus which is powerful neurotoxin which leads to weakness and loss of co ordination. This harpoon is cocked and loaded. The fish is paralyzed within seconds reeled back in and swallowed. The diet of marbled cone snail is marine worms small fish mollusks and other cone snails.

This means that it defines the genus for the purpose of determining whether or not other species belong to that same genus. Believe it or not one drop of venom from this snail is powerful enough to kill 20 people yep you read that right. Cone snails mainly hunt worms and other snails. It feeds on other snails including some within its own species.

Cone snail shells range in size from less than an inch to 9 inches long. The marbled cone snail was the first cone snail described by the father of binomial nomenclature carolus linnaeus and is the type species for the genus conus or cone snails. The unique marbled cone snail is found from the southern tip of india to okinawa japan and southeast to new caledonia and samoa. Are cone snails dangerous.

Marbled cone snail is said to be the master of deception as it hides very well. The cone snail strikes. Fish hunting snails are particularly dangerous with venom strong enough to kill a human. The marbled cone snail is also known as the cigarette snail and just happens to be one of the most poisonous animals on the planet.