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Cone snail biology

JacksinPA

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cone_snail

I was in a class at the local university & the prof showed a video that featured the cone snails. I became fascinated with them & began collecting their shells while studying their biology & evolution. I'm currently focused on the species of cone snail from 2 different areas on the coast of Senegal in West Africa.
 
so, you know some of them are deadly poisonous.
 
UtahBill said:
so, you know some of them are deadly poisonous.
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Yes. One is called the 'cigarette snail' because if you are stung by one you only have time to smoke one before you die. See The "Cigarette" Snail - Neatorama

The unique chemistry & hypermutation nature of their deadly toxins is one of my reasons for getting interested in them. They also have offensive mechanisms where they can put passing fish to sleep & attack them with an insulin analog that puts them into hypoglycemic shock.
 
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JacksinPA said:
"We'll all go together when we go, all suffused with an incandescent glow..." - Tom Lehrer.
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SQUEEEeee! Another Tom Lehrer fan!!! Pardon me, is this seat taken?
 
JacksinPA said:
Yes. One is called the 'cigarette snail' because if you are stung by one you only have time to smoke one before you die.

The unique chemistry & hypermutation nature of their deadly toxins is one of my reasons for getting interested in them.
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I have seen warning signs on Hawaii beaches for Man O War jelly fish, which just sting, but no warnings about cone shells.
My sea shell collection is mostly from when I was stationed at GTMO, Cuba.....
 
Greenwing said:
SQUEEEeee! Another Tom Lehrer fan!!! Pardon me, is this seat taken?
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I grew up with his stuff. When asked why he didn't write more, he said he had written it all. Like 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park' etc.
 
UtahBill said:
I have seen warning signs on Hawaii beaches for Man O War jelly fish, which just sting, but no warnings about cone shells.
My sea shell collection is mostly from when I was stationed at GTMO, Cuba.....
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GTMO! I heard the Cubans who live outside their perimeter occasionally hear explosions from the direction of the base, probably from critters stepping on mines.
 

I am not a biologist, not even close. But I seem to see a trend in nature where the most poisonous of anything are often the most colorful. We have a mushroom grows on the forest floor, bright orange, red and some yellow. Unlike the "cigarette snail" you have, at best, 5 minutes with one mouthful. There's another called a "blue cap" because it has a blue cap I suspect; touch the blue part and your skin will start blistering within minutes.

Scuba diving I also noticed similar colors in some very poisonous animals, and some Jelly fish are absolutely beautiful....and just as deadly
 

The thinking is that the bright coloration of these toxic creatures is meant as a warning to predators. The poison dart frogs of Central & S America are great examples of warning coloration. The term for this is aposematic.

Conspicuously recognizable markings of an animal that serve to warn potential predators of the nuisance or harm that would come from attacking or eating it. The bold patterns of skunks and the bright colors of poison arrow frogs are examples of warning coloration. Also called aposematic coloration. Compare camouflage.

Some of the most toxic, like the box jelly, is small & not colored AFAIK.
 
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One of the big mysteries about cone snails is that most of them have beautiful, elaborately pigmented shells. But they are only active at night & have poor vision, so what's the point of spending all the energy needed to produce all that pigmentation if no one can see it?
 
Greenwing said:
Awesome, thanks. LOL @ plagiarize. Lehrer is a genius.
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Yes he is but if you read his bio he never completed his doctoral dissertation. ABD = All But Dissertation. Brilliant mathematician, concert hall pianist, etc
 
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