Basic Information
Cone snails belong to the family Conidae, which includes over 800 different types of these amazing sea creatures!
Cone Snails - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Cone Snails For Kids
A group of cone snails is called a walk, rout, or escargatoire — though they usually like to live alone!
Cone snails can be found in all warm ocean waters around the world, from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean!
Cone snails can live 10 to 20 years in the wild, slowly growing their beautiful shells as they age!
Baby cone snails are called veligers. They’re so tiny — about the size of a grain of sand — that they float through the ocean like specks of dust!
Cone snails are meat-eaters, which means they eat other animals, including fish, worms, and even other snails!
Physical Characteristics
Cone snails get their name from their cone-shaped shells, which can have beautiful patterns that look like tiny pieces of art!
A cone snail’s shell grows with them all their life, adding new layers like rings on a tree!
Cone snails have a special body part called a siphon that helps them breathe and sniff out prey underwater — like a built-in snorkel and nose!
The Geography cone snail (Conus geographus) can grow as large as your hand, reaching up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length!
Cone snails have a harpoon-like tooth on their radula (tongue-like part), which they use to inject venom and catch their food!
Each cone snail type has its own special shell pattern, like a fingerprint, that helps scientists tell them apart!
The shell of a cone snail is made of calcium carbonate, the same stuff found in chalk and limestone rocks!
Some cone snails have shells that glow under special light (ultraviolet (UV)), creating a beautiful bright display!
A cone snail’s eyes are on tiny stalks, like look-out towers, allowing them to see above their shell!
Behavior & Intelligence
Cone snails are night hunters, which means they’re most active at night when their prey is sleeping!
Cone snails can feel tiny movements in the water to find their prey, like a boat’s underwater finder!
Cone snails make a sticky slime trail as they move, which helps them slide smoothly across the ocean floor!
When in danger, cone snails can quickly pull themselves into their shells and close the opening with a trap door called an operculum!
Some cone snails use a special chemical “net” made of poison threads to catch fish, like throwing a fishing net!
Cone snails can shoot their poison harpoon from any direction, even when they’re partly hidden in their shell!
Cone snails find food and mates by sniffing special smells in the water!
When hunting, cone snails can stretch their bodies to twice their normal length to reach prey!
Habitat & Survival
Most cone snails live in coral reefs, where they can hide among the colorful corals and rocks!
Some cone snails bury themselves in sand during the day, with only their breathing tube showing above the surface!
Some cone snails can survive in water depths from tide pools down to about 650 feet (200 meters) below the surface!
Cone snails like warm waters between 68°F and 85°F (20°C to 29°C)!
During storms, cone snails can stick themselves firmly to rocks using their strong foot muscle!
Some cone snails live in seagrass beds, where they hunt for small fish that hide among the plants!
Cone snails can survive in both clear and cloudy water, as they use smell more than sight to find food!
Cone snails can feel changes in water heat and will move to more comfortable areas!
Cone snails can survive several days out of water by sealing themselves inside their shells!
Life Cycle
Female cone snails lay between 1,000 and 5,000 eggs at a time in special cases that look like tiny white balloons!
Cone snail eggs take about 2 to 3 weeks to hatch into tiny baby snails!
Baby cone snails start hunting as soon as they hatch, catching tiny sea creatures their own size!
Cone snails change their radula (feeding part) regularly, replacing old teeth with new ones!
A cone snail’s shell grows in a spiral pattern, adding new layers as the snail gets bigger!
Adult cone snails can take up to two years to reach their full size!
Female cone snails are usually bigger than males of the same type!
Cone snails can fix small cracks in their shells by making new shell material!
Some cone snails can survive for several months without eating, especially during tough times like when they are making eggs!
Diet & Feeding
Each cone snail type eats different prey — some eat only worms, others only fish, and some only other snails!
A cone snail’s poison-shooting harpoon can strike faster than a fish can swim away!
Cone snails can eat prey up to twice their own size by slowly breaking it down outside their body!
Cone snails use over 100 different types of poison mixtures to catch their prey!
A single cone snail might only eat once every few weeks, but each meal can keep them going for a long time!
Cone snails can smell their prey from several feet away!
Some cone snails use a special sugar-lowering poison to make their prey slow and sleepy!
A hungry cone snail can stretch its feeding tube to three times the length of its shell!
These snails can store enough food energy to survive without eating for up to six months!
