Monterey's cone snail

[Fuzzmutton]

Anyone here familiar with Monterey's species of cone snail (is there more than one species in the Monterey Bay area?) that can tell me how toxic these particular ones are?

I was diving over Christmas and I saw two, my first sitings, and I was like "hmmm, that's a funny-lookin' critter!". I am so glad I resisted the urge to touch. I vaguely remembered reading a book on marine biology when I was 12 that mentioned those things and I had a suspicion. I googled it later and confirmed my suspicions but was unable to identify the exact type or find out what type live in the Monterey area. I would hate to get against one by accident because the material I read said they can pierce a glove or a wetsuit!:11:

 

[archman]

Yeah, don't stick it in your pocket.

 

[drbill]

I just did a quick check in Gotshall's "Guide to Marine Invertebrates" and it states the California cone (Conus californicus) is the only cone snail in our state. It does use poison but I don't know how toxic it might be for humans. Besides, why touch marine life in general?

 

[archman]

Hell, I think the whole family's dangerous to humans.

 

[drbill]

I still haven't seen a reference that states explicitly that the California cone, although poisonous, is toxic to humans. Here are a few Internet articles on them:

http://www.**********/eco/e041031/e041031.html

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/OLC/detail.asp?browseBy=habit&x=&y=183

PS- The second reference states that although the California cone is toxic, it is not very potent. Of course tropical cone snails like the geographic cone are deadly poisonous to humans.

 

[Fuzzmutton]

Har har, archman I'll have to remember to stick it in my BUDDY'S pocket.

I just did a quick check in Gotshall's "Guide to Marine Invertebrates" and it states the California cone (Conus californicus) is the only cone snail in our state. It does use poison but I don't know how toxic it might be for humans. Besides, why touch marine life in general?

Thanks drbill for the articles and the info. As to why touch marine life to begin with, I know there are two camps where that is concerned. I enjoy nature, I also respect it, and I would not do anything that would intentionally harm a living creature. I don't think there is much difference in touching marine life (gently) than there is in catching a frog or a grasshopper and looking at it and most people don't mind people doing that (again, gently).

Fuzz

P.S. I will allow that a person really ought to know what it is that they're touching, as in the case of the cone snail .