What is a cone snail?
Cone snails are mostly tropical in distribution and are the largest of the predatory snails. The largest hunt small fish with a harpoon-like tooth that instantly paralyzes them with their poison.
The smallest cone snails’ venom feels like a bee-sting, but the larger species have been known to produce potentially fatal results to humans. Locals have facetiously nicknamed them the "cigarette snail" because you have enough time to smoke a cigarette before you die.
Many tropical cone snails live in coral reefs (such as the Indo-Pacific with the highest variety of cone snails) but have also been known to be endemic to temperate waters (like in the Cape of South Africa).
In a recent study, their venom has been shown to be one of the most powerful pain relievers to humans, similar to morphine. Scientists have yet to develop a stable oral dose.
