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in the drift line at low tide
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A specimen of the Turtle of Agate Cone, Conus ermineus Born, 1778, was found and collected at the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary at 24 m depth. Note that collection is restricted in the sanctuary's waters; collection is only possible with a research collection, as it was the case. The specimen was sent to Conus expert, Dr. Alan Kohn, who identified it as Conus ermineus. He studied the radula and said it was gigantic. It is now illustrated in his excellent book, Conus of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean (Kohn, 2014), published by Princeton University Press: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10229.html The animal has a long red proboscis, which can extend farther than the length of the shell. All cone snails are poisonous and should be handled with great care. Conus ermineus is one of the piscivorous species, which suggests that its poison could be potentially lethal (although as far as I know there aren't any such records). Included here is a photo of a different specimen to show how the shell of this species looks. Read more about this species in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 236.
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A specimen of the Turtle of Agate Cone, Conus ermineus Born, 1778, was found and collected at the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary at 24 m depth. Note that collection is restricted in the sanctuary's waters; collection is only possible with a research collection, as it was the case. The specimen was sent to Conus expert, Dr. Alan Kohn, who identified it as Conus ermineus. He studied the radula and said it was gigantic. It is now illustrated in his excellent book, Conus of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean (Kohn, 2014), published by Princeton University Press: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10229.html The animal has a long red proboscis, which can extend farther than the length of the shell. All cone snails are poisonous and should be handled with great care. Conus ermineus is one of the piscivorous species, which suggests that its poison could be potentially lethal (although as far as I know there aren't any such records). Included here is a photo of a different specimen to show how the shell of this species looks. Read more about this species in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 236.
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A specimen of the Turtle of Agate Cone, Conus ermineus Born, 1778, was found and collected at the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary at 24 m depth. Note that collection is restricted in the sanctuary's waters; collection is only possible with a research collection, as it was the case. The specimen was sent to Conus expert, Dr. Alan Kohn, who identified it as Conus ermineus. He studied the radula and said it was gigantic. It is now illustrated in his excellent book, Conus of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean (Kohn, 2014), published by Princeton University Press: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10229.html The animal has a long red proboscis, which can extend farther than the length of the shell. All cone snails are poisonous and should be handled with great care. Conus ermineus is one of the piscivorous species, which suggests that its poison could be potentially lethal (although as far as I know there aren't any such records). Included here is a photo of a different specimen to show how the shell of this species looks. Read more about this species in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 236.
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A specimen of the Turtle of Agate Cone, Conus ermineus Born, 1778, was found and collected at the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary at 24 m depth. Note that collection is restricted in the sanctuary's waters; collection is only possible with a research collection, as it was the case. The specimen was sent to Conus expert, Dr. Alan Kohn, who identified it as Conus ermineus. He studied the radula and said it was gigantic. It is now illustrated in his excellent book, Conus of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean (Kohn, 2014), published by Princeton University Press: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10229.html The animal has a long red proboscis, which can extend farther than the length of the shell. All cone snails are poisonous and should be handled with great care. Conus ermineus is one of the piscivorous species, which suggests that its poison could be potentially lethal (although as far as I know there aren't any such records). Included here is a photo of a different specimen to show how the shell of this species looks. Read more about this species in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 236.
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A specimen of the Turtle of Agate Cone, Conus ermineus Born, 1778, was found and collected at the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary at 24 m depth. Note that collection is restricted in the sanctuary's waters; collection is only possible with a research collection, as it was the case. The specimen was sent to Conus expert, Dr. Alan Kohn, who identified it as Conus ermineus. He studied the radula and said it was gigantic. It is now illustrated in his excellent book, Conus of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean (Kohn, 2014), published by Princeton University Press: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10229.html The animal has a long red proboscis, which can extend farther than the length of the shell. All cone snails are poisonous and should be handled with great care. Conus ermineus is one of the piscivorous species, which suggests that its poison could be potentially lethal (although as far as I know there aren't any such records). Included here is a photo of a different specimen to show how the shell of this species looks. Read more about this species in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 236.
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A specimen of the Turtle of Agate Cone, Conus ermineus Born, 1778, was found and collected at the Flower Garden Bank National Marine Sanctuary at 24 m depth. Note that collection is restricted in the sanctuary's waters; collection is only possible with a research collection, as it was the case. The specimen was sent to Conus expert, Dr. Alan Kohn, who identified it as Conus ermineus. He studied the radula and said it was gigantic. It is now illustrated in his excellent book, Conus of the Southeastern United States and Caribbean (Kohn, 2014), published by Princeton University Press: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10229.html The animal has a long red proboscis, which can extend farther than the length of the shell. All cone snails are poisonous and should be handled with great care. Conus ermineus is one of the piscivorous species, which suggests that its poison could be potentially lethal (although as far as I know there aren't any such records). Included here is a photo of a different specimen to show how the shell of this species looks. Read more about this species in Tunnell et al. (2010) Encyclopedia of Texas Seashells, p. 236.
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Occupied by a hermit crab and not the venomous original occupant.
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Occupied by a hermit crab and not the venomous original occupant.
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"The large shell on the right, which is shaped like a cone, and has what looks like lines of letters on it, is an Alphabet cone. Live cones are predatory hunters. They ""harpoon"" their prey with a barbed tooth linked up to a poison gland which secretes a rich blend of neurotoxins! Cone snails will ""sting"" humans too, so if you come across a live cone snail in your travels, do not tuck it in your wetsuit, and also do not carry it around in the palm of your hand. This particular shell is not fresh; it is worn on the surface and on the apex, and it is a tinged green with algae. All this after the death of the cone snail. However, the vertical scar facing the camera shows that this cone snail survived a fairly serious predation attempt, healed the break, and went on to live a fair bit longer. I am not sure what kind of animal would try to eat a fairly large cone snail like this. Strikes me as a risky venture..."
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One of the nicest finds of the trip, found by Mary Kay Sexton at Blind Pass.