| Kingdom Animale | Phylum Mollusca | Class Gastropoda |
 Geography
Cone ShellConus geographus Family Conidae  Only
a few species of cone shells are highly dangerous to man. The most dangerous
species are those that feed on fish. The geography cone is certainly the
deadliest. All cones have a venom apparatus in which the radula teeth (modified
into harpoon-like darts, right) are released, one at a time into the base
of the muscular proboscis or trunk, together with some toxin from the venom
sac. When the proboscis touches the prey, an instantaneous contraction of
the muscles shoots out the dart, penetrating the tissue. Anyone picking
up live cone shells should hence be very careful not to come in contact
with the proboscis at the tapering end of the shell . |
Introduction Shore environment |
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From A Guide to Seashore Life by Dr Leo W H Tan and Peter K L Ng Published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by BP @Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and Singapore Science Centre |
