- Animals
- Reference
Geography Cone
- Common Name:
- Geography Cone
- Scientific Name:
- Conus geographus
- Type:
- Invertebrates
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Size:
- 4 to 6 inches
- IUCN Red List Status:
- Least concern
- Current Population Trend:
- Unknown
The incredibly toxic venom of the geographic cone snail has to be strong enough to paralyze instantly. Otherwise, the fish it preys on would swim away to die, and the slow-moving gastropod would have nothing for its efforts.
Size and Characteristics
Indigenous to the reefs of the Indo-Pacific, geographic cones grow to about 6 inches in length and have intricately patterned brown-and-white shells highly prized by shell collectors.
Venom
The geographic cone is the most venomous of the 500 known cone snail species, and several human deaths have been attributed to them. Their venom, a complex concoction of hundreds of different toxins, is delivered via a harpoonlike tooth propelled from an extendable proboscis. There is no antivenin for a cone snail sting, and treatment is limited to merely keeping victims alive until the toxins wear off.
Pharmaceutical Potential
Ironically, among the compounds found in cone snail venom are proteins which, when isolated, have enormous potential as pain-killing drugs. Research shows that certain of these proteins target specific human pain receptors and can be up to 10,000 times more potent than morphine without morphine 's addictive properties and side-effects.