File:The six most dangerous cone shells from Indo-Pacific.jpg

The mollusks of the family Conidae are characterized by their modified radula, in the shape of a harpoon, whose function is to be fired at their prey or for the defense of the animal, and which are well known for the presence of mortals, stunning and paralyzers toxins (named conotoxins). These prey can consist of worms, other mollusks and fish. About eighteen different species were registered as offensive, or even mortal, to man, the most dangerous being those with a piscivorous diet, mostly present in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, such as Conus geographus (the species most associated with human deaths), Conus aulicus, Conus marmoreus, Conus striatus, Conus textile and Conus tulipa (shown exactly in this sequence, from top to bottom). Since the prey of these species are usually faster, these creatures have developed a powerful poison that can kill or paralyze them instantly. Some species that cause serious accidents are not piscivorous, such as Conus marmoreus. In the Western Atlantic, a potentially dangerous species is Conus regius Gmelin, 1791, which occurs commonly from the Caribbean Sea (southern Florida, the West Indies and the Bahamas) to the coast of the state of São Paulo, in the southeastern region of Brazil; an shallow depth dweller.

References

• HADDAD JUNIOR, Vidal; PAULA NETO, João Batista de; COBO, Válter José (October 2006). «Venomous mollusks: the risks of human accidents by conus snails (gastropoda: conidae)». Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, vol 39; no.5. (SciELO).
• HADDAD JUNIOR, Vidal; COLTRO, Marcus; SIMONE, Luiz Ricardo L. (July-August 2009). «Report of a human accident caused by Conus regius (Gastropoda, Conidae)». Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical, vol.42; no.4. (SciELO).
• SILVA, José António; MONTALVERNE, Gil (1980). Iniciação à Colecção de Conchas. Colecção Habitat. Lisboa, Portugal / Livraria Martins Fontes, Brasil: Editorial Presença. p. 75. 110 pp.
• DANCE, S. Peter (2002). Smithsonian Handbooks: Shells. The Photographic Recognition Guide to Seashells of the World. Second edition. London, England: Dorling Kindersley. p. 185. 256 pp. ISBN 0-7894-8987-2
• LINDNER, Gert (1983). Moluscos y Caracoles de los Mares del Mundo. Barcelona, España: Omega. p. 83. 256 pp. ISBN 84-282-0308-3

Footnoteː The shells in this assembled photograph are not respected in their proportionality, when related to each other; the image owners, from top to bottom, are quoted here:

• Conus geographus Linnaeus, 1758[1]; the Geography Cone - Photograph by Almed2 (user; Wikimedia Commons).
• Conus aulicus Linnaeus, 1758[2]; the Princely Cone - Photograph by Almed2 (user; Wikimedia Commons).
• Conus marmoreus Linnaeus, 1758[3]; the Marble Cone - Photograph by H. Zell (user; Wikimedia Commons).
• Conus striatus Linnaeus, 1758[4]; the Striate Cone - Photograph by H. Zell (user; Wikimedia Commons).
• Conus textile Linnaeus, 1758[5]; the Textile Cone - Photograph by H. Zell (user; Wikimedia Commons).
• Conus tulipa Linnaeus, 1758[6]; the Tulip Cone - Photograph by Almed2 (user; Wikimedia Commons).

References

• ABBOTT, R. Tucker; DANCE, S. Peter (1982). Compendium of Seashells. A color Guide to More than 4.200 of the World's Marine Shells. New York: E. P. Dutton. p. 244-255. 412 pp. ISBN 0-525-93269-0