COWRIES

Family Cypraeidae. Among the most popular of all seashells, cowries number about 200 living species. The aperture is restricted and usually toothed, the surface glossy and smooth. All are from warm seas.

They are omnivorous, lay circular egg masses and sit on them. Their mantles are often as colourful as their shells.

Egg Shells

Family Ovulidae. The false, or allied, cowries are tropical in distribution and live in close

association with soft corals, sea fans and sponges. The soft mantle usually covers the egg

or spindle shaped shell.

CONES

Family Conidae. Primarily inhabitants of warm, shallow water, cones are most  numerous in the tropical Indo-Pacific. The poison of some cones may be lethal to humans. A diminutive operculum is usually present. Eggs are deposited in purse shaped capsules. More than 300 cone species are recognised, but many synonyms have been created.

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