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Animal profile

Geography Cone Snail

Conus geographus

GastropodaShallow tropical reef flats, sand and rubble near coralLeast Concern

Field profile

The geography cone is a predatory marine snail with a mottled, tent-patterned shell about ten to fifteen centimetres long. It hunts fish at night, immobilising them with venom delivered through a modified, hollow radular tooth. It is the cone snail most often implicated in human fatalities.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-09-20

Geography Cone Snail

A hunting snail that weaponises insulin

The geography cone releases a cloud of specialised insulin into the water around a fish, crashing its blood sugar and leaving it too sluggish to flee. The venom is used before the harpoon strike, not after it.

Read with evidence →

Geography Cone Snail | Daily Animal Facts