Conus ebraeus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Conus ebraeus |
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| Three different views of a shell of Conus ebraeus | |
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Conus ebraeus, also called the black-and-white cone or Hebrew cone, is a fascinating type of sea snail. It's a marine gastropod mollusk that belongs to the Conidae family. This family is well-known for its unique cone snails and their relatives. These snails are found in warm ocean waters around the world.
What Does It Look Like?
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The shell of the Conus ebraeus snail is quite easy to spot. It's usually small and squat, meaning it's short and wide. The shell can be anywhere from about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) to 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) tall.
The shell is typically white with a cool pattern of blackish squares. Sometimes, these squares might even have a slight pink tint. You'll often see three or four bands of these dark markings going around the shell. These markings also decorate the top part of the shell, called the spire. The opening of the shell is white, with cloudy bands that match the outside patterns. The shell's surface feels a bit bumpy or ridged, especially near its dark base.
Where Does It Live?
Conus ebraeus is one of the most widespread cone snails. It lives in shallow, warm waters across the Indo-West Pacific and eastern Pacific regions. This includes areas from the Red Sea all the way to the shores of the Americas.
It was first discovered in India. You can find these snails in many places, including:
- Aldabra
- Chagos
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Houtman Abrolhos
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Mozambique
- Okinawa
- Papua New Guinea
- Red Sea
- South Africa (West Coast)
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
Its Home Environment
This snail prefers to live near rocky shores. It often makes its home under boulders in the lower eulittoral zone. This is the area of the seashore that is covered by water at high tide and exposed at low tide.
What Does It Eat?
Like all species in the Conus group, these snails are predatory. This means they hunt and eat other animals. They are also venomous, which means they can sting. Because of this, it's important to be very careful with live cone snails, or even better, not to touch them at all.
Conus ebraeus mainly eats certain types of marine worms. For example, in places like the Maldives and the Great Barrier Reef, they mostly eat worms from the Palola genus. However, in Hawaii and the Seychelles, they prefer to eat worms from the Nereid genus. This shows that Conus ebraeus can change its diet depending on where it lives.
Gallery
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Conus ebraeus Linnaeus, C., 1758
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Conus ebraeus Linnaeus, C., 1758
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Conus ebraeus Linnaeus, C., 1758
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Conus ebraeus Linnaeus, C., 1758
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Conus ebraeus Linnaeus, C., 1758. Museum specimens
