[Coral-List] Strange predatory snail question

Don Baker reefpeace at yahoo.com
Wed Aug 31 18:57:08 EDT 2011


Some marine cone snails are predators of other cone and cowry snails. Conus marmoreous prey on other snails and when I had my aquarium in Guam years back, they moved pretty quick when they wanted to have a meal. Their 'harpoon' to inject their venom was only a dagger as their prey are snails and don't really move too quick and by the time the venom finally takes effect...done.  The fish eating cone seashells, as Conus striatus, C. geographus, Conus tulipa, on the other hand, have 'real harpoons' and their fish prey can't get away after stabbed.

Caio,
Don



--- On Wed, 8/31/11, Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Sarah Frias-Torres <sfrias_torres at hotmail.com>
Subject: [Coral-List] Strange predatory snail question
To: "coral list" <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2011, 5:38 AM


This might sound a bit strange question for the Coral List forum but....some time ago I saw in the Blue Planet Series (or was it Planet Earth Series?), a short video of a marine predatory snail chasing after another snail in a coral reef.The video was quite striking showing how a fast moving (in snail speed limits) predatory marine snail run after another much smaller unsuspecting snail, then launches an attack basically engulfing the unlucky snail  (shell included) with a "mouth" a tube-like proboscis No escape possible. Does anyone know what I'm talking about or point me in the right direction to locate the video clip? Is this behavior also possible in predatory nudibranchs? 

Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D. Schmidt Ocean Institute Postdoctoral FellowOcean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) 1420 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida 34949 USA Tel (772) 467-1600http://www.teamorca.orghttp://independent.academia.edu/SarahFriasTorres



                           
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