selim12 February 14, 2024 0 Comments

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(Cyphoma gibbosum),from the family Ovulidae typically known as the flamingo tongue snail is a species of small but colored sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk. Its colors and shapes are truly a thing of beauty! Let’s get to know it more!

Table of Contents

Where Do They Live?

They are mainly found in the tropical waters of the western Atlantic from North Carolina to the northern coast of Brazil in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico in the sandy seafloor.

The preferred habitat is the soft corals, sea fans, and whip corals.

They are spotted to live on the surface up to 90 meters depth. (still in a reachable sunlight zone).

Flamingo Tongue Snail Size and Appearance :

Their main color is bright orange-yellow with black spots; these colors are not in the shell itself, they exist in the mantle shell. The mantle can expose the shell when the flamingo tongue snail is attacked. The size of the shell is approximately about 25-35 mm in length; The dorsum surface is smooth and shiny and may be white or orange. They can grow about 2-3 cm in size.

Behavior And LifeSpan:

Though they are solitary, mating happens throughout the year. Their lifespan is about two years. Adults are more mobile and active than juveniles who stay close to coral undersides. Its coloration helps to ward off potential predators. This creature uses aposematism to change color as a defense mechanism. They use something called a radula to scrape away soft tissues of the coral and leave only the skeletons behind.

Diet Of The Flamingo Tongue Snail:

Their main food is the living tissues of the soft coral feeds in which they live. The dorsum surface is smooth and shiny and may be white or orange.They eat the tissue of the soft coral leaving only skeletons.

Reproduction and lifecycle Of The Flamingo Tongue Snail:

The flamingo tongue snail reproduces through internal fertilization with the male approaching the female making the mating to last to four hours. The females attach eggs to coral which they have recently fed upon. each egg can have 300 embryos.

Approximately 10 days later, the larvae emerge into the world. They embark on a drifting journey as plankton, eventually finding their home amidst different Gorgonian corals. The young ones have a penchant for the concealed realm beneath coral branches, while the mature individuals proudly display their vibrant colors, roaming the seascape with grace and poise!

Predators:

They have a lot of predators like larger reef fish and lobsters.

Conservation Status And Threads:

People often mistake these flamingo tongue snails for colored shells; Due to this reckless behavior, flamingo tongue snails’ numbers have decreased significantly over the years. But according to 2007 study flamingo tongue snails have damaged enough coral reefs as their population increases: their primary food source.

Cool Facts About Flamingo Tongue Snail:

1-They incorporate chemicals from their prey into their soft tissue to provide self-defense.

2-Their misleading colors make a warning to predators.

3-It uses its foot to secrete chemicals that dissolve toxic corals into digestible food storing the toxins in its tissue.

Well, these amazing creatures can’t stop amazing me, and if you think about flamingo tongue snails; let me know if you have any questions by commenting below. follow our social links & stay tuned for more deepsea creatures.