Although the empty shell itself may not be deadly, when a person tries to collect a cone shell, the disturbance that is caused may cause the snail to sting the person, causing possible harm to the person.
myDr.com
Oceanholic Maldives, an environmental organisation based in the Maldives has urged citizens to be wary of the presence of a highly venomous cone snail that has been spotted in the Maldives. Although this is not the first time the cone snail has been spotted on the beaches of the Maldives, due to the ‘pretty’ and colourful features of the creature that may make it appealing for citizens, especially children to collect the shells, Oceanholic has put out the warning.
Although cone snails are spotted on beaches from time to time, not a lot of people are aware of what a cone snail is and what makes it so deadly. The cone snail is a specimen that lives worldwide and is usually spotted in tropical waters. They are made eye-catching due to their exquisite patterns and coloured shells - the first indicator of what makes them dangerous as well. Although the empty shell itself may not be deadly, when a person tries to collect a cone shell, the disturbance that is caused may cause the snail to sting the person, causing possible harm to the person.
It is worth noting that while these shells have been spotted on the sand of the beaches during evening and night time, cone snails can also be found when you are wading through shallows or even going scuba diving in the ocean.
One of the most remarkable things about the 1,000-ish cone snail species is that there is almost no overlap in the toxins that are made by each.
There are about 40 known fatalities by cone snails and nearly all — if not all — were caused by a single species, Conus geographus, commonly known as the geography cone. Some of the toxins in this species can cause acute respiratory failure and potentially heart failure. It's also one of the species that can inject larger quantities of venom compared to most other cone snails. Compared to snakes and even scorpions and spiders, death from cone snail stings are extremely rare.
