Palytoxin is not the only dangerous poison on the reef but the cone snail is packing heat in a very different kind of way. If you’ve never heard of cone snails, you’ve definitely seen their characteristically slanted shells and beautiful patterns.
What makes cone snails different is that they have a very powerful venom that they inject with a very fast harpoon in their proboscis. The way that cone snails sneak up on their prey, or lie in ambush and wait for a tasty fish or other snail to come by, is one of the most sinister killing strategies on the reef.
A typical cone snail sting feels similar to a bee sting but some species, like the geographic cone snail is venomous enough to cause serious injury, extreme pain and even death in humans. Because of this the cone snails have been mostly avoided in the aquarium world and hobby, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate them from a distance.
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