Mole Cowry (Talparia talpa)

Also known as the chocolate banded cowry, the mole cowry is a species of cowry that is distributed throughout the Red Sea and in the Indian Ocean and in the western Pacific. Mole cowries inhabit coral reefs and shallow lagoons in inter/subtidal  waters. They are active at night and start feeding at dusk. Like most cowries the shell of T.talpa is completely engulfed by its mantle and is covered with long papillae. If threatened the cowry can quickly retract its mantle back into the shell.

Animalia-Mollusca-Gastropoda-Littorinimorpha-Cypraeoidea-Cypraeidae-Lurrinae-Talparia-T.talpa




Source: Wikipedia.

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