Cone snail harpoon3/12/2023 Abundance of these species were significantly higher in cold season compared to the warm season (P < 0.05). Three cone snail species were recorded from southern sandy-rocky shores of the Island, in decreasing order of abundance, included crowned cone (Conus coronatus) (65%), feathered cone (Conus pennaceus) (28%), and frigid cone (Conus frigidus) (7%). Also, the most updated medical literature was reviewed to summarize related emergency first aid. Abundance and species richness were estimated in shores of different structures, including muddy and sandy-rocky shores. Collected snails were identified to the species level. Shores surrounding Qeshm Island were surveyed to collect cone snails during cold (February and March) and warm (May and June) seasons of 2017. It's really fascinating what these animals are capable of.To investigate the fauna of a highly venomous marine species group, the cone snails (Family Conidae), in the shores of Qeshm Island, of evaluating the possibility of envenomation in the area and summarize recommendations for emergency first aid. "A colleague of mine recently showed that some cone snails use toxins that mimic mating pheromones to lure worms out of their burrows. "We know very little about the various ways that cone snails use their venom in the wild," she says. These are just a few strategies, but according to Safavi, with so much diversity in cone snail venom, we have a lot to learn: All the snail has to do is follow its prey and gobble it up when it reaches it. The fish will swim away, but will fall under the influence of the snail's venom pretty quickly. Other cone snails will strike a fish but won't tether it with their harpoon. Other cone snails, like the geographer cone, creep up on sleeping fish and shoot out a cloud of chemicals – one of which is insulin - that numbs their prey and sends them into a sort of hypoglycemic coma before swallowing them whole. All the snail has to do is reel its prey into its giant parachute-like mouth and spit the bones out a couple of hours later. With a tube-like structure at the end of a venom bulb, and a modified tooth that can shoot out of the tube at 400 miles per hour (644 kilometers per hour), instantly incapacitating passing prey, it doesn't really matter if cone snails are slowpokes. Compared to snakes and even scorpions and spiders, death from cone snail stings are extremely rare."Ĭone snails might not have fangs, but most have a venom-covered harpoon they use to incapacitate their prey. It's also one of the species that can inject larger quantities of venom compared to most other cone snails. "Some of the toxins in this species can cause acute respiratory failure and potentially heart failure. "There are about 40 known fatalities by cone snails and nearly all - if not all - were caused by a single species, Conus geographus, commonly known as the geography cone," says Safavi. With each species making several hundreds of toxins, one can estimate that there are around half a million different toxins present in cone snails."īecause their venoms are unique to specific species, some species deliver a very minor sting, and others can kill you. "Even very closely related species have only around 5 to 10 percent overlap. "This shows how fast these toxins evolve," says Safavi. One of the most remarkable things about the 1,000-ish species of cone snail is that there is almost no overlap in the toxins that are made by each.
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