Photograph by Kerry Matz
Map
Geographic Cone Snail Range
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Invertebrate
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Size:
- 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
- Did you know?
- 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.
- Size relative to a tea cup:
The incredibly toxic venom of the geographic cone snail has to be strong enough to paralyze instantly. Otherwise, the fish it preys on would swim away to die, and the slow-moving gastropod would have nothing for its efforts.
Indigenous to the reefs of the Indo-Pacific, geographic cones grow to about 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length and have intricately patterned brown-and-white shells highly 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. Their venom, a complex concoction of hundreds of different toxins, is delivered via a harpoonlike tooth propelled from an extendable proboscis. There is no antivenin for a cone snail sting, and treatment is limited to merely keeping victims alive until the toxins wear off.
Ironically, 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 side-effects.
Other Reef Dwellers
Invertebrate Features
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Coral
It's reef madness in this colorful gallery of coral formations.
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Photo Gallery: Coral Reefs
About 80 percent of all life on Earth is found in the oceans, which cover 71 percent of the planet's surface. Take a look at how colorful life under the sea can be.
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Lobster
Learn more about these popular crustaceans that some think of only as a meal. Find out the sizes that these sea creatures are capable of attaining.
-
Sea Cucumber
Learn how these amazing echinoderms deter predators by snaring them with sticky threads and even hurling their internal organs about.
Animals
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- Geographic Cone Snail
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- Osprey
- Ostrich
- Oyster
- Ozark Big-Eared Bat
- Pachycephalosaurus Wyomingensis
- Parrot
- Parrot Fish
- Peacock
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- Platecarpus
- Platypus
- Poison Dart Frog
- Polar Bear
- Porcupine
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- Praying Mantis
- Proboscis Monkey
- Pronghorn
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- Protostega Gigas
- Przewalski's Horse
- Pufferfish
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- Quetzal
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- Rainbow Trout
- Raven
- Red Crab
- Red-Eyed Tree Frog
- Red-Footed Booby
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- Right Whale
- Ringed Seal
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- Ring-Tailed Lemur
- Rockhopper Penguin
- Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
- Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
- Sailfish
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- Sandhill Crane
- Sand Tiger Shark
- Scarab
- Scorpion
- Sea Anemone
- Sea Cucumber
- Seahorse
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- Siberian Tiger
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- Snowy Owl
- Sockeye Salmon
- Spectacled Bear
- Sperm Whale
- Spider Monkey
- Spotted Hyena
- Spotted Salamander
- Spring Peeper
- Squirrel
- Starfish (Sea Star)
- Steller Sea Lion
- Steller's Sea Eagle
- Stick Insect
- Stingray
- Styxosaurus Snowii
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- Whooping Crane
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- Xiphactinus Audax
- Zebra
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