A variety of taro snails
The ocean is the cradle of life, and the vast expanse of the ocean is inhabited by countless creatures of all kinds. There are large and small, all kinds of fish, and there are strange and colorful mollusks. Mollusks with hard shell structures such as conchs and shellfish live in coastal areas of warm seas. Most marine life is non-toxic, and only a small fraction of it is poisonous. What you may not know is that some conchs are poisonous creatures.
The chicken heart snail is a highly toxic marine mollusk. These heavy hard shell structures with the shape of chicken hearts, colorful and slow-moving creatures, if accidentally stung by them, may bring life-threatening worries. Chicken heart snail does not refer specifically to a certain type of marine snail, but a general term for a large group of organisms with the same shape and shell structure, which are also called sea snails.
Poison Dart: Offensive weapon
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > too many species to be specifically classified</h1>
Also known as "taro snail", it is a kind of conch that lives in warm waters near the coral reefs near the equator, and is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters, with the largest distribution in the western Indo-Pacific region. They present a wide variety of colors and patterns, varying in size, and the shell forms more or less like a cone, the largest of which can be up to 23 centimeters long; it often appears that the same species has different colors and patterns in different places, resulting in a variety of variants, and scientists are also troubled by the fact that they cannot accurately classify them specifically. New species continue to emerge every year, and more than 900 species of chicken heart snails have been found. So they are all grouped into the same species, that is, they all belong to the taro snail family.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="29" > interesting way to hunt</h1>
Chicken heart snails are carnivorous creatures. All chicken heart snails are poisonous, and different species of venom are toxic in large and small ways. Although they crawl slowly, they have a unique way of predation. Usually they will ambush themselves in the sand, sticking out only a long nose. The long nose not only keeps you breathing, but also monitors your surroundings. When the prey is close, such as some small fish, shrimp, etc., the long nose will slowly approach the prey, and then spew out a "poison dart", this dark weapon is a harpoon-shaped hollow tooth tongue, with a barbed structure, and the poisonous liquid on the hidden weapon. Once the prey is shot, the venom immediately comes into play, paralyzing the prey. The chicken heart snail then recycles the poison dart that is shot out, sucks the prey into the mouth, and slowly digests it.
Their poison darts are disposable and discarded when used. There are flexible "subcutaneous syringes" in the body that connect to the toxin-filled sacs in the body, and some species store up to 20 or so poison darts inside them, ready to be used at any time of launch. Of course, these weapons will also be used in self-defense.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" > why are they so toxic? </h1>
The toxin in the venom of chicken heart snail is called taro snail toxin, which is a complex compound that contains up to hundreds of different substances, with different kinds of components. Most of the chicken heart snail toxins are not fatal, and only a few species are extremely dangerous, such as killer taro snails, tulip taro snails and thin-lined taro snails, and stinging by them may lead to life-threatening problems. Nearly 30 fatalities have been known.
Although the toxins of chicken heart snails are dangerous, scientists are very interested in their composition content, and many useful chemicals have been extracted from them for various medical applications. For example, killer taro snails and tulip snails can secrete a type of insulin that causes prey to develop hypoglycemic shock and paralysis, and they are the only two species known to use insulin as a natural weapon.
Ziconotide, a peptide isolated from the venom of the monk's robe snail, is a painkiller 1000 times stronger than morphine and is widely used in clinical analgesic treatments without side effects. Their venom is also used to research and develop new drugs for Parkinson's disease, potentially to help develop effective treatments for nicotine addiction, and even to smooth wrinkles and fine lines on the face in commercially available anti-wrinkle creams. It is an extremely precious and rare source of biological RAW materials.
Monk's robe taro snail
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" > epilogue</h1>
The back shell of the chicken heart snail is very beautiful, and it is often used to make a variety of exquisite decorations in the market, which is very popular. The Sea Glory Taro Snail, which is distributed in the waters near Southeast Asia, was once one of the most famous and popular shell ornaments, and only a few specimens are in private collections. Before they were discovered in large numbers, the scarcity of their properties combined with their beautiful appearance led to their high value. It was not until people discovered a large number of distributed sea areas that prices dropped significantly.
The Glory of the Sea Taro Snail: Once a luxury collection
China's offshore distribution of more than 70 different types of chicken heart snails, when playing on the beach, if you find them, you must pay attention not to be stung by them, so as not to be injured and lead to serious consequences, after all, there is no special antivenom treatment. Of course, most of the types of chicken heart snails are not very toxic, but also a delicious seafood, their meat does not contain any toxins, after cooking will not have any toxicity.