Californian cone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Californian cone |
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| Apertural view of shell of Californiconus californicus (Hinds in Reeve, 1844), measuring 29.1 mm in height, collected at low tide in Huntington Beach, California. | |
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Californiconus californicus, commonly called the Californian cone, is a species of small, predatory sea snail in the family Conidae, the cone snails.
As both the scientific and common names suggest, this cone is found along the Californian coast.
Distribution and habitat
This small cone snail is unusual, in that most cone snail species are tropical, whereas this species lives in the cooler, temperate waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, including most of the coast of California. The range of this species is from the Farallon Islands near San Francisco to Bahia Magdalena, in Baja California, Mexico. [1]
This cone is found in both rocky and sandy areas, in the intertidal zone, and subtidally down to 30 meters depth. [2]
Shell description
This shell is distinguished by its grayish-brown color and thick periostracum. It is round-shouldered with the aperture broader at the base. The spire is flat-sided, and the height of the shell ranges from 25–40 mm.
Feeding habits
The California cone hunts and eats marine worms, fish, and other mollusks. It is also a scavenger.
Gallery
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A live individual of the California cone, Californiconus californicus, anterior end towards the right
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Californiconus californicus Reeve, L.A., 1844
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Californiconus californicus Reeve, L.A., 1844
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Californiconus californicus Reeve, L.A., 1844
Fossil record
Fossils of Californiconus californicus have been recovered from the Late Pleistocene strata of Isla Vista, California.
