Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758
Textile cone,
~80mm
This
is a relatively common species in Hawaii.
Mollusk eaters, the cones seem
especially attracted to Nassarius papillosus. The active Nassarius,
however, is often able to escape by twisting its large foot, causing the shell
to bounce away.
The cone detects the presence of its prey and extends the pink tentacles that
delivers the venomous harpoon (radular tooth).
Nassarius attemps to flip
away.
Cone delivers the harpoon to its prey, releasing a small whitish cloud of venom
or mucus.
The victorious cone stretches its
mouth into the aperture of the prey, surrounding and digesting the Nassarius
animal.
Other shells are also on the menu. Here a Textile cone attempts to sting a
Bursa rosa.
The pink tentacles delivering the
venomous harpoon into the aperture of the Bursa.
But the Bursa fights back, pushing
the cone away with its own proboscis. In this case, the Bursa escaped.
A relatively small 50.7mm shell.
Created 22 September 2013
Updated 1 June 2024
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