Cones. The most dangerous snail in the world: Cone snail Marine mollusk cone prism cylinder

Coral reefs, stretching along the entire coast of Australia, are distinguished by their enchanting beauty; people come from all over the world to see them. But this is where many vacationers, especially those who are keen on scuba diving, face danger.

Many people know that many fish, such as sharks or warthogs, are bloodthirsty or poisonous. We've also heard about jellyfish that leave serious burns. But not many people know that among snails - seemingly the most peaceful creatures in the world - there are species that are truly dangerous to humans.

The main danger comes from cone snails, which got their name from the almost regular conical shape of their shell. These mollusks are endowed by nature with weapons that resemble a harpoon gun in action. Together with the blow of a small thorn, the victim receives a solid dose of poison, which is fatal to humans.

Total in this predatory family there are 400 species living in tropical seas. On the Bolshoi Barrier Reef Australia has more of these mollusks than anywhere else.

Cone snails are predators, and it must be said that they are quite successful hunters. During the day, snails hide in corals, and at nightfall they crawl out of their hiding places. They have a very developed sense of smell.

From a great distance, they sense the slightest chemical impurities in the water and slowly follow the trail of their prey. It could be a worm, another snail, or even a fish. Despite the fact that the latter swims quickly in the water, this does not bother the slow cone snail: its weapon will not fail. The following subspecies of snails are considered the most poisonous: geographer's shell, brocade shell, tulip shell, marble shell and pearl shell.

So, why is this mollusk scary? Their stigma contains a modified crop that acts like a dart or spear. This “dart” is moistened with a potent poison. This is why even a large, fast-swimming fish will not be able to swim far after the spike hits a target at a distance more than a meter. This venom is similar to that of the blue-ringed octopus.

For humans, the poison from the cones can cause a lot of trouble. The snails inject with a sharp spike that ends in a curved barb, like a harpoon. The injection is very painful, the affected area immediately becomes numb, nausea, and severe dizziness. If timely assistance is not provided, paralysis of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems may occur within half an hour.

According to statistics, every third victim of this mollusk dies. It's not because modern medicine powerless against cone poison. Since the injection takes place underwater, there is very little time left to get to the shore and then to the nearest hospital.

An even greater danger is when the victim is alone under water. Since the injection site quickly becomes numb, and the pain is such that you can even lose consciousness, a person may simply not swim to the surface on his own.

True, it should be noted that, basically, all cases occur through the fault of the person himself. Attracted by the beauty of the shell, we try to take the snail in our hands and, thereby, force the cone to defend itself.

be careful

Materials used: http://www.lookandtravel.ru/?p=6878

The seas and oceans of our planet are inhabited by beautiful and amazing creatures– mollusks with an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and colors. But often their beauty is not as harmless as it might seem at first glance. These "cute" creatures can pose a serious threat to human life. Poisonous mollusks belong to two classes: gastropods and cephalopods. Let's get to know them better.

Cones and terebras are poisonous mollusks

Cones - gastropods are considered the most dangerous, as they contain a very dangerous poison - a neurotoxin.

Today, scientists count more than four hundred of their species. They have a wound, conical shell reaching a length of 10–11 centimeters. Their leg is long and narrow, and their siphon is thick and short. The underside of the leg has a cap.

Very often, cones have shells with beautiful colors, usually in the form of a wave-like pattern, sometimes in a complex pattern (for example, a “textile cone”). The shell has a bright orange inner surface. Some of the cone species are armed with a long, fleshy proboscis that extends far beyond their shell.

These gastropod poisonous mollusks have several sharp teeth at the end of the proboscis, which are arranged like a grater. At their base there are poisonous glands.

The injection of “teeth” is accompanied acute pain and numbness of the affected area. First, the bite site begins to turn pale, and then cyanosis appears.

This feeling of numbness often spreads to the mouth and other parts of the body. In the most severe cases, they may be accompanied by fainting, spastic paralysis of skeletal muscles, heart failure, etc. Some types of cones have a lethal injection.

The list of “The most poisonous shellfish” is headed by the geographic cone.

Many researchers describe cases where people stepped on poison cones or careless tourists during an excursion to the reefs picked up cone-shaped mollusks, and their proboscis dug into human flesh. Soon signs of poisoning appeared, and some victims died before reaching the hospital.

Cones are common on the shallows of seas and oceans tropical latitudes. Often found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, the Red and Caribbean Seas, as well as many other places.

To date, there are no specific drugs that can neutralize the venom of the cone. A treatment regimen designed to treat lesions of various poisonous fish. To relieve pain, morphine and other painkillers are administered. And to prevent seizures, drugs such as magnesium sulfate, calcium gluconate, etc. are administered intravenously. If allergic reactions occur in the form of skin rashes, antihistamines are prescribed.

When providing first emergency care on the spot, it is necessary to cut the skin at the site of the “bite” and suck out the poison. A tourniquet should be applied above the affected area for thirty minutes and placed in hot water with addition table salt affected area. Next, you need to make a novocaine blockade around the bite site.

To avoid such consequences, cone-shaped poisonous mollusks should be taken in such a way that their proboscis cannot reach your unprotected hand.

In addition to cones, the poisonous apparatus also has terebrae. Its shell is very similar to a curled tall tower. In terebra, the poisonous apparatus has the same “device” as in cones. It can also be found on the shallows of tropical seas.

Therefore, when relaxing on the sea coast in the tropics, you need to be as careful as possible and try to avoid contact with these dangerous, although very beautiful creatures.

Poisonous octopuses

These interesting mollusks belong to the diverse family of cephalopods. Top surface their gray, sac-like body is “decorated” with warts. Octopuses also have eight tentacles with 2 rows of suction cups.

Large round eyes, a mouth with strong horny jaws, similar to the beak of a parrot. Octopuses are widespread in coastal waters of partially temperate, subtropical and tropical latitudes of all oceans.

Bites pose a serious danger individual species octopuses - inhabitants of tropical seas.

Octopuses are not among the aggressive marine animals and, as a rule, do not harm people unless provoked. But, if a meeting with the “blue-ringed” does occur, be extremely careful.

These dangerous poisonous mollusks are found in the World Ocean, and who knows how many more new species of these dangerous creatures will become known in the coming decades. Indeed, to date, only 5% of the “water shell” of the earth has been studied.

And if you want to learn more about the poisonous blue-ringed octopus, this article will tell you about it:

And with others, most interesting representatives various types shellfish, you will be introduced to these articles:

About 500 species have been described. Most representatives are confined to warm weather tropical seas, however, some are able to live at high latitudes.

Bite of some representatives of the genus Conus deadly to humans. At the same time, the venom of other species is used in pharmacology for the manufacture of potent painkillers that do not cause drug addiction.

Peculiarities

Crawling on the sand Conus textile

Cones are nocturnal predators, hiding in the sand during the day. The radula of the cones has teeth modified to resemble a harpoon - the pointed ends are equipped with sharp spines directed backwards. Inside the harpoon there is a cavity connected to the poison gland. The teeth sit in two rows, one tooth on each side of the radular plate. When the cone, with the help of the sense organ - the osphradium, detects prey, one tooth of the radula comes out of the pharynx, its cavity is filled with the secretion of the poisonous gland, passes through the trunk and is clamped at the end of this trunk. Having approached a sufficient distance, the snail fires a harpoon and a strong toxin that has a paralytic effect is injected into the victim. Some types of cones have bait outgrowths with which they lure fish. Small fish are paralyzed almost instantly and although they continue to twitch, purposeful movements that can help the fish escape are no longer observed. After all, if the victim were able to jerk sharply once, it would escape and then the slow mollusk would hardly be able to find and eat it. Small fish they swallow whole and on large specimens they are worn like a stocking. For a person, such a “bite” can also become dangerous. The geographic cone (Conus geographus) is especially dangerous for humans. Moreover, according to Australian expert Rob Bradl, death can occur within a couple of minutes. In the Pacific Ocean, 2-3 people die annually from cone bites, and only one person from sharks. According to statistics, one out of three, or even two cases of being pricked by a cone thorn ends in death. Most often, attracted by the beauty of the shell, the person would try to pick it up and force the cone to defend itself.

In 1993, there were 16 reported deaths worldwide from cone bites, of which 12 occurred in Conus geographus. Two deaths from C. textile. In addition, it should be considered dangerous C. aulicus, C. marmoreus, C. omaria, C. striatus And C. tulipa. How general rule The most dangerous snails should be considered to be those that prey on fish.

Conus geographus- the most dangerous snail in the world when hunting

Conus amadis

Poison cones

Poison cones Lately scientists were very interested in because of a number of features: this poison consists of relatively simple biochemical components - conotoxins - peptides that are easy to reproduce in the laboratory. Snails have a very wide range in toxicity and composition of the poison. Two identical snails from the same location may have very different venoms. This is not observed in other animals - two identical snakes or two identical scorpions have absolutely identical poisons. Another feature of the toxins that make up the cone venom is the speed of action. Although conotoxins are classified as neurotoxins, they have peptides with different mechanisms of action - one toxin immobilizes, another anesthetizes, etc. This can be very useful in medicine. In addition, these peptides do not cause allergies in humans.

There is no antidote for cone venom and treatment can only be symptomatic. Locals islands Pacific Ocean When bitten by a cone, immediately cut the bite site and draw blood.

Medical use

Venom cone ( Conus magus) is used as a pain reliever (analgesic). For example, the drug Ziconotid is a synthetic form of a non-opioid analgesic - one of the cone peptides, the effect of which is superior to all drugs known to medicine. This poison is supposed to replace the addictive morphine.

The cones, along with cowrie shells, are highly prized by collectors. Cone gloriamaris, called the "Glory of the Seas", is considered the most beautiful sink in the world. Described back in 1777, until 1950 only about two dozen of these shells were known and therefore they could cost up to several thousand dollars. Now the habitats of these snails have been found and their price has dropped sharply.

Taxonomy

There is currently no established system within the family: different authors up to seven subfamilies are distinguished.

List of genera

see also

• A. Medvedev’s website about cones: http://www.coneshells-am.ru/

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Cone snail (in Latin Conidae) is a predatory gastropod. The beautiful multi-colored shells of these snails are decorated by nature with intricate designs; they have inspired the imagination of people for centuries. IN old times For those who lived on the ocean shore, shells were a kind of currency. They were collected and exchanged for money, and jewelry made from them was sold. Cones are depicted on the canvases of the Dutch artist Rembrandt and some other painters; art school students love to draw them in sketches.

The Cone snail is poisonous, recently employees of the American National Institute Standards and Technologies (NIST) have turned the properties of this deadly shellfish to benefit human health. Medicines are made based on the poison of this mollusk, thanks to which it has become possible to treat diseases that have long been known to medicine in a new way.

Where does the Cone snail live?

In total, more than 800 species of these mollusks are known, most of which live in tropical waters. But there are also those who live in temperate climate– warm deep-sea reservoirs, for example, in the Mediterranean Sea.

General information

The Cone Predator is a snail that typically preys on sea worms and mollusks. Sometimes it eats small fish and crustaceans. It paralyzes prey with its poison.

The bites of many types are deadly to humans; not all types of cones are suitable for the production of medicines. But some are used in pharmacology - strong painkillers are made from the poison, which do not cause drug addiction.

The most poisonous subspecies of cones:

• Geographical,
• Tulip,
• Pearl,
• Brocade,
• Marble.

The Geographical poison-toothed mollusk (in Latin: Conus geographus) is the most dangerous of all. It is also called “cigarette” for its conical-oval shell 43-166 mm long, its habitat is the Indo-Pacific region.

In principle, cones lead a solitary lifestyle; they are not aggressive, so it is mainly shell collectors who are at risk. Snails defend themselves when they are picked up - they release stings, their bites are comparable to the stings of bees. Stings large species kill a person in a matter of hours, and the bite of a “cigarette snail” generally leaves the victim time to smoke just one cigarette.

Appearance

From the name it is clear that the shells of these mollusks are cone-shaped. The color of the shell depends on the habitat - it is influenced by chemical composition ocean or sea ​​water. The main color background of the sinks can be in a variety of pastel shades:

• light gray
• greenish,
• light pink, etc.,
• but there are also species with bright multi-colored shells.

The length of the shells in most species is from 4 to 20 cm, but there are cones 50 cm long with a body weight of more than 2 kg. It is clear that in such a large “body” the gland that produces the nerve poison is also of considerable size.

Cone snail shells are not only an object of sale in the form of jewelry and crafts, but also a collectible item. Thus, it is known that in Germany collectors gave more than 200 thousand marks for individual copies.

The structure of the oral apparatus and the method of eating food

These snails lead night look life, and in daytime bury themselves in the sand. On the radula (this is what mollusks call the apparatus for capturing and grinding food) there are pointed teeth in the form of harpoons, curved inward. At night, cones hunt and eat prey, as if scraping off layer after layer of the victim’s flesh with these “harpoons.” Inside each “harpoon” there are hollow grooves connected to a gland that produces poison.

The snail detects prey with a special sense organ. Once the victim is selected, one of the teeth moves out of the throat, its cavity is filled with poison, which passes through the groove and accumulates at the very tip. Having approached the object of hunting at the required distance, the mollusk shoots poison at it from its tooth, and the prey is paralyzed by a strong toxic secretion.

How do snails hunt?

Food of most types of cones – sea ​​worms, but there are also those that feed on shellfish and fish. Species that eat fish have the most toxic poison - it has a paralytic effect within a second.

Despite the usually slow movements of cones, their evolutionary path of development for the purpose of survival is such that in dark time Within a day, they learned to quickly attack creatures that are several times more mobile than the snails themselves. A “harpoon” with a poisonous secretion flies out instantly - the poison immobilizes the victim. The mollusk slowly draws in the prey and digests it whole, and the used tooth is discarded and immediately replaced with another.

Some types of cones have projections that attract fish. The poison paralyzes the small fish almost instantly - the body still continues to wriggle, but the fish has already lost coordination of movements and cannot escape. Although if she had managed to make one strong jerk, she could easily have escaped from the snail’s teeth, since she moves much faster than a mollusk. The small fish are sucked into the cones, but the larger ones are pulled up like a stocking.

After the first prey is caught, some cone species still have up to 20 harpoon teeth left to hunt the next victim.

Danger of cones to humans

The paralyzing bites of these snails are dangerous to human life, especially Conus geographus ( Geographic cone). Australian naturalist researcher Rob Bradl says death can occur in as little as two minutes. According to statistics, in the waters of the Pacific Ocean two or three people die every year from contact with cones, and only one from encounters with sharks. The numbers are as follows because a person who does not know about the danger of these mollusks feels the desire to immediately take the amazingly beautiful shell in his hands, forcing a small Living being defend. But on the contrary, a person runs away from a shark as quickly as possible.

The lethal dose of the poisonous secretion of a cone snail for a person weighing 70 kg is 2 mg - this is about the same amount as a snake injects into the victim.

Cone bites are very sensitive, but they are not only painful. Bites can lead to severe visual impairment, muscle paralysis, respiratory failure and death.

Features of cone venom and use in medicine

The concentration of poisonous secretion among cones varies greatly, and the venom of two individuals of the same species may differ in composition. This is not found in any other species of poisonous animal, such as snakes or spiders. IN last years The poison of the cones attracted the attention of scientists with a number of its features:

• it contains a fairly simple biochemical component - peptides; these substances are easy to synthesize in the laboratory;
• it gives a quick analgesic effect;
• the effect of the peptides that make up the poison varies - some toxins provide an analgesic effect, others immobilize;
• The peptides that make up the poison do not lead to allergic reactions in people.

But there is no antidote for the poison (therefore, therapy with drugs based on it is strictly symptomatic). For example, the indigenous inhabitants of the Pacific Islands practice immediately making an incision at the site of a cone bite and releasing the blood.

Today, the venom of these mollusks is used in non-opioid painkillers. For example, Ziconotid is a synthetic version of a non-opioid analgesic (cone snail peptide), its effect is superior to that of all currently available drugs of this type. The poison from the cones is supposed to be used in drugs that will replace those made on the basis of morphine, which causes drug addiction.

One of the components of the cone venom is used in the cosmetics industry - it is found in anti-wrinkle creams. The principle of action is to cause local inflammation along the finest lines of the face, which leads to protrusion and smoothing of skin folds.

Here it is, the cone snail, unusual, beautiful and at the same time deadly.

Hapalochlaena (blue-ringed octopuses) are considered the most poisonous marine animals. They are small in size, but extremely aggressive character. They can be recognized by their bright yellow skin and black and blue rings on it. And you should stay away from them.

It is important to know that to date no antidote has been found for their toxic substance. Providing medical care consists of applying a bandage to the wound and artificial respiration, since this poison paralyzes within a few minutes respiratory system. Next, urgent transportation to the hospital is necessary.

The most poisonous mollusk in nature

The most poisonous mollusk (Hapalochlaena) reaches a length of no more than 20 centimeters and weighs no more than 100 grams. It is clearly visible in the water thanks to its bright yellow skin with blue and black stripes.

The number of stripes, depending on the size of the animal, can reach 60. When blue-ringed octopuses are frightened or very alarmed, brown spots begin to appear on the body, and the rings shimmer. These animals are predators. They feed on crabs, shrimp, and crayfish. Sometimes they manage to catch fish. Having caught the victim, the octopuses bite through the shell and, like spiders, inject poison that has a nerve-paralytic effect. After some time, when the victim is completely paralyzed, the octopuses suck the contents from the shell.

IN mating season males approach females. First, stroking with tentacles occurs. Then the male covers the female’s mantle with them and secretes seminal fluid enclosed in “bags”. Using the same tentacles, he fertilizes the female. Mating continues until the female repels the male.

Females make one clutch in their entire life. This happens at the end of autumn. An octopus can lay up to fifty eggs at a time. The female takes care of them for six months, during which time she does not feed at all. As soon as the eggs hatch, the female dies. After about a year, the octopuses from this clutch reach sexual maturity, and the whole process is repeated again.

Despite the fact that these poisonous mollusks are able to repel an enemy’s blow, they, like all cephalopods, have developed the ability to change color for camouflage thanks to the chromatophore contained in the cells. Blue-ringed octopuses can completely blend into the landscape of the bottom, but in a situation of danger they return to their typical coloring.

Hapalochlaena (blue-ringed octopuses) are found quite often off the coast of Australia, but cases of attacks on humans by these mollusks are few. This may be due to the preferential nocturnal lifestyle, perhaps correct behavior vacationers. In any case, when meeting these octopuses, you should not move suddenly, so as not to excite the animal.