Conidae
Cone snails, or cones, are highly venomous marine molluscs. With well over 1000 space+ies, cones are the second most popular with shell collectors. Cones are almost exclusively tropical in distribution, although a few species do occur in colder seas such as the Mediterranean, the West/South Coast of South Africa and California. Cones range in size from around 10mm to 260mm. Conus pulcher from West Africa is the largest of the Cone shells. As their name suggests, all Cone snails have a very similar conical shaped shell with a long narrow aperture.
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About Conidae
All cone snails are venomous and capable of stinging. A number of people have died after being stung by the geography cone (Conus geographus). A number of other cones that feed on fish can inflict near fatal stings on humans. Cone snails live from the intertidal zone to very deep water, and occur on a wide range of substrates.
The glory of the seas cone, Conus gloriamaris, was once one of the most highly prized natural history objects, commanding very high prices. Nowadays, whilst it remains one of the most beautiful of seashells, it is a relatively common species in the Philippines and Indonesia.