Conus californicus

Conus californicus

The California cone snail ( Conus californicus ) is a snail from the family of cone snails ( genus Conus ), who lives on the Pacific coast of the United States and northern Mexico.

Features

The shell of Conus californicus is shortened top-shaped, firm and has raised towards the base strip. The thread forms a shallow cone and is slightly convex. Brown, the color of the housing. At the apex be it is whitish with individual brown spots. The surface of the brown body intercourse is covered with very fine and dense lines.

Foot, head, sensor and Sipho are whitish with brown to blackish speckles.

Dissemination

The California cone snail occurs on the coast of North America from Cabo San Lucas ( Baja California, Mexico ) to San Francisco Bay ( California, United States) in the Pacific Ocean. The only type of Conidae family inhabits the cool waters of this zone.

Habitat

California cone snails live on the coast buried in the sandy soil, they leave when prey are nearby.

Food

California cone snails form within the family an exception insofar as that they eat both polychaetes and fish and mollusks. In addition, they also live on carrion. When fishing are - also unusual in the cone snails - two different strategies applied: and pull stab in the mouth, as otherwise, for example, does the purple cone snail, or evert the foot without first stab on the prey, as you would otherwise, and the maps cone of tulips cone snail observed. To kill a fish, the snail has to sting repeatedly. The big booty spectrum is explained by the lack of competitive pressure from other Conus species.