Cone Snails: Family Conidae

The cone snails or cone shells, sometimes simply known as "cones", (family Conidae), are a taxonomic family of medium-sized to large, sophisticated predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks.

The shells of cone snails are shaped roughly like an ice-cream cone. The narrow end of the cone shell is the anterior end, and the wide end shows the usually very low spire of the gastropod shell.

These snails hunt and immobilize prey using a modified radular tooth along with a poison gland containing neurotoxins; this is launched out of its mouth in a harpoon-like action.

Cone venom shows great promise as a source of new, medically important substances.

Live cone snails should be handled with care or not handled at all, as they are capable of "stinging" humans with unpleasant results. The sting of very small cones is no worse than a bee sting, but the sting of a few of the larger species of tropical cone snails can be fatal to human beings.

The shells of cone snails are often brightly colored and intricately patterned, although in some species when the snail is still alive, this coloring is covered over with a thick periostracum.

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