The photo that sits to the right of the page is called a flamingo tongue - it's known as a mollusk. Its classification is a phylum. Its scientific name is Cyphoma Gibbosum. This is a snail about one-inch long and he is a "gastropod" meaning he eats with his feet. Common on many Caribbean and Atlantic coral reefs, the flamingo tongue snail feeds on toxic sea fans and not only suffers no harm, it incorporates the fans venom and becomes toxic itself. Shell collectors are often attracted to the colorful snails, but in fact the shell itself is white—it’s only the living animal inside that produces the striking color pattern.
Its diet consists of sea plumes, sea rods, and sea whips. Flamingo tongues usually live a life span of 2 years. The bright orange patterns that you see a on top are due to the live mantle covering it, and they disappear when the snail dies. It has tentacles and a head with two pairs of sensory organs that look like horns. These 'horns' have eyes at their ends. Do you think that if I were to eat this snail it would be poisonous and affect me?
(Denise McNair)
What a cool looking organism. I've never seen this one before
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