cone snail
Toxic ocean hunter
A cone snail is a predatory sea snail with a cone-shaped shell, found mainly in tropical waters.
Cone snails hunt fish, worms, or other mollusks by injecting venom through a harpoon-like tooth—some species produce toxins potent enough to kill humans.
Their shells are prized by collectors for their intricate patterns: She found a cone snail shell while diving in the Philippines.
Poison attacking neural tissue
- harpoonBarbed spear for whales
- radulaMollusk scraping organ
- envenomationInjection of animal poison
- paralysisLoss of muscle function
sting · lethal · deadly · potent · fast-acting · peptide · painkiller · pharmaceutical
Single-shelled soft creature
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- spiralCurve winding around center
- whorlSpiral arrangement of ridges
- voluteArchitectural spiral ornament
spire · apex · aperture · operculum · patterned · banded · marbled · ornate
Calcium carbonate marine ecosystem
- Indo-PacificCombined ocean region
- PhilippinesSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- Great Barrier ReefVast coral formation near Australia
- tropical watersSeas near the equator
tide pool · seabed · sandy bottom · shallow waters · warm seas · Caribbean · Hawaii · Red Sea
Developing new therapeutic compounds
- analgesicPain-relieving medication
- pain managementReducing patient suffering medically
- neuroscienceStudy of nervous systems
- pharmacologyStudy of drug actions
clinical trials · synthetic · laboratory · species diversity · evolution · speciation · biomedical · therapeutic
neurotoxin
Poison attacking neural tissue
- harpoonBarbed spear for whales
- radulaMollusk scraping organ
- envenomationInjection of animal poison
paralysis · sting · lethal · deadly · potent · fast-acting · peptide · painkiller · pharmaceutical · research
gastropod
Single-shelled soft creature
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- spiralCurve winding around center
- whorlSpiral arrangement of ridges
volute · spire · apex · aperture · operculum · patterned · banded · marbled · ornate · collector
coral reef
Calcium carbonate marine ecosystem
- Indo-PacificCombined ocean region
- PhilippinesSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- Great Barrier ReefVast coral formation near Australia
tropical waters · tide pool · seabed · sandy bottom · shallow waters · warm seas · Caribbean · Hawaii · Red Sea · Indian Ocean
drug discovery
Developing new therapeutic compounds
- analgesicPain-relieving medication
- pain managementReducing patient suffering medically
- neuroscienceStudy of nervous systems
pharmacology · clinical trials · synthetic · laboratory · species diversity · evolution · speciation · biomedical · therapeutic
cone snailland snail
Shelled terrestrial gastropod
cowrie · periwinkle · limpet · sea slug · clam
cone snailsquid
Ten-armed marine mollusk
octopus · cuttlefish · flying fish · nautilus · dolphin