The Tiger Cowrie

selim12 April 18, 2024 0 Comments

Sigh Priya Tigress commonly known as the tiger cowrie is a species of Kaori a large sea snail.

Table of Contents

History and Discovery of Tiger Cowrie:

It was discovered by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 with the original name Cypraea tigris, it gets its name “tiger” from its specific epithet tigris.

Habitat of The Tiger Cowrie:

The tiger cowrie is found on the ocean floor in the Indo-Pacific region from the eastern coast of Africa to the Waters of Micronesia and Polynesia the Coral Sea and around the Philippines. Found at depths starting from 10 to 40 meters. It’s common in coral colonies.

Shape And Size:

It has a glassy shell that is large and heavy for a cowrie. It measures up to 15 cm in length. It’s covered with dark spots. The shell sometimes has a red line in it. The ventral side is white with an opening.Two lateral extensions of the mantle possess the remarkable ability to gracefully unfurl, enveloping the shell in a seamless embrace that culminates at the central axis of the dorsal expanse.

Diet:

It eats invasive sponges. Sponge species included Dysidea spp., Mycale parishii, M. grandis, Haliclona caerulea, Halichondria coerulea, Cladocroce burapha, and Gelliodes wilsoni. Juveniles consume algae.

Behavior And Lifecycle of The Tiger Cowrie:

The female cowrie are larger than males. They are slow movers on the ocean, Tiger Cowries are nocturnal and are only seen moving at night, while during the day they can be found in their shells, sometimes in the open.

The life cycle of the Tiger Cowrie can be divided into three stages: the juvenile larva stage, the callus-building bulla stage, and the adult stage. During the juvenile larva stage, the shell volume increases. In the callus-building bulla stage, the shell is thickened. Finally, in the adult stage, no further growth occurs, and sexual maturity is reached.

Reproduction And Lifespan:

Tiger Cowries are dioecious, meaning that they have separate sexes, and they reproduce sexually. Copulation occurs between males and females, followed by internal fertilization. The female then deposits her eggs, which are embedded in a circular gelatinous mass. The mother broods the egg mass for up to four weeks, after which the eggs hatch and larvae are released into the water column. The larvae then undergo a series of developmental stages before settling to the bottom and secreting a new shell whorl, transforming into an olivoform. They can live up to 7 years in the wild but in captivity, it can be elongated to 15 years.

Conservation Status And Cultural Significance:

They are really threatened by shell hunting and habitat pollution of nearby human coral reefs. They have huge importance like in Japan, their shells are highly valuable as it’s believed to facilitate childbirth. In Europe, large cowry shells such as that of this species were used as a frame for darning needles.