Cypraea tigris

Widely diffused in the tropical Indo-Pacific but absent in the Red Sea, where is replaced by the similar Cypraea pantherina, the Cypraea tigris is a carnivorous species that when adult nourishes of coral polyps, sponges, other gastropods and invertebrates, without ignoring dead fishes and corpses, whilst when young bases its diet on algae. It moves in the tidal zone, going down at most, along the slopes of the reefs, up to about 30 m of depth. Due to the luminous shell, the attractive colour with variable blurred spots, is too fished, even with dynamite, for the “low-cost market of wonders” and the delight of tourists. Usually reaches 7-10 cm with a record of 16 cm © Giuseppe Mazza