Looks Like a Cowrie to Me!

Found this cool little guy in the tidal pool we set up for the kids. I've determined he's a cowrie??? He has a shell that disappears! Anyone have any differing opinions?

 

I can't really tell. The top picture doesn't look too much like a cowrie to me, but all the others look like they could be. The cowrie shell is very distinctive, have you seen it retracted, exposing its shell?

 

i bought cowries and they look just like urs(so id say they are)

 

The last pic looks like a chestnut Cowrie. Hard to tell from the other pics what kind of Cowrie. They are known to feed on soft corals when they get bigger. So I'd toss it, or trade it in at the LFS.

edit:dont know where "knock" came from when I typed that.

 

Pretty animal, it's Cypraea (Monetaria) annulus, the "Gold Ringer" cowry. It should look like this with the mantle retracted, no?

Monetaria annulus

There was a post on Dr. Shimek's forum a few months ago that this species eats hair algae, along with other types of algae and microorganisms. It should be a nice tank/pool resident, and shouldn't eat anything objectionable.

Cheers,


Don

 

By the way, that cowry is an adult, and won't get any bigger. Once the shell curls under and forms teeth, it is as large as it will get, and any additional growth will simply be thickening the shell and laying down the adult dorsal pattern, and in some species, calluses on sides.

Cheers again,



Don

 

Hey ! Thanks ! For info! Karma from me