Flamingo Tongue

Found living with their host, on the under side of Gorgonian branches, where they browse the living corals for their food source, over coral and rocky reefs. They feed from their host, by scraping the coral polyps off with their radula, leaving a visible scar, this is not lethal to the coral as it will regrow.

This species is uncommon because of over-collecting due to the bright colours, however the bright colours come from the animals mantle not the shell!

Ovulidae usually have plain shells and brightly coloured mantles.
The Cowries are probably the most admired and sought after by shell collectors.
Cowries have few predators, but the mollusc-eating cones like Conus textile and octopus can inject venom into the cowry's flesh through a small hole and then sucks out the contents.

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