Conus marmoreus

The Conus marmoreus is frequent in the tidal zone of all the Indo-Pacific and rarely exceeds the 30 m of depth. During the day it silts up or hides under the pebbles and gets out the night to hunt various gastropods, even congeners. But contrary to what usually occurs in the Conus, there are populations active during the whole day or with rising tide. The black shell, 5-15 cm tall, displays large white triangles that at times mask almost completely the bottom. Researches are under way about the venom of this species for possible therapeutic uses © Giuseppe Mazza