Conus daucus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conus daucus |
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| Views of the shell of a Conus daucus snail. | |
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The Conus daucus, also known as the carrot cone snail, is a type of sea snail. It's a marine gastropod mollusk and belongs to the Conidae family, which includes all the cone snails.
Like other cone snails, the carrot cone is a predatory animal. This means it hunts and eats other small sea creatures. These snails are also venomous. Because of their venom, it's very important to be careful if you ever see a live one. You should never touch them.
There is also a special type of carrot cone snail called Conus daucus riosi, which was identified in 1986.
What Does the Carrot Cone Snail Look Like?
The shell of the carrot cone snail can be between 19 mm and 66 mm long. That's about the size of a small to medium-sized carrot!
The shell is usually a lemon-brown or orange-brown color. It has grooves near its bottom part. Often, you can see a lighter band around the middle of the shell. This band might be broken up in places. The shell also has rows of small, dark chestnut spots. Sometimes these spots are hard to see.
The top part of the shell, called the spire, might also have pale chestnut markings.
Where Do Carrot Cone Snails Live?
The carrot cone snail is found in many warm ocean areas. It lives in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. You can also find it off the coast of Northeast Brazil.
These snails are also present in the North Atlantic Ridge and the Red Sea. They even live in the Indian Ocean, especially near the Mascarene Basin. The first place this snail was officially described from was the Island of Guadeloupe.
What is the Habitat of the Carrot Cone Snail?
Carrot cone snails live in the ocean from very shallow waters down to depths of 120 meters. This means you might find them close to the shore or much deeper down.
