Tonna perdix is moderately common in the Marshalls, but it most often seen as empty or broken shells. The living animals are nocturnal, emerging from hiding at night to hunt for sea cucumbers. They can be found on both lagoon and seaward reefs, and seem most common at Kwajalein in the manmade reef quarries along the intertidal reef flat on the seaward reef. The living shell below was photographed by Raphaël Forns on an intertidal reef at Rongerik Atoll. The shell is protruding a bit from the shallow water. Additional live animal shots of this species can be seen on our page from Hawaii.
Created 10 January 2011
Updated 28 July 2024